Australian Antarctic Territory
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Australian Antarctic Territory
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 Map of Antarctica indicating various countries' claims
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| Largest research station | Mirny Station (Russia) | |||
| Area | ||||
| - | Total | 5,896,500 km² 2,276,651 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||
| - | estimate | less than 1,000 | ||
| Calling code | +672 | |||
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The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia and is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation. It consists of all the islands and territory south of 60° S and between 44°38' E and 160° E, except for Adélie Land (136°11' E to 142°02' E), which divides the territory into Western AAT (the larger portion) and Eastern AAT. It is bounded by Queen Maud Land in the West and by Ross Dependency in the East. The area is estimated at 6,119,818 km². The territory is inhabited only by the staff of research stations. The Australian Antarctic Division administers the area primarily by maintaining three year-round stations (Mawson, Davis and Casey), which support various research projects.
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[edit] Subdivisions
The territory is divided into nine districts, which are from West to East:
| No. | District | Area (km²) | Western Border | Eastern Border |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enderby Land | 044°38' E | 056°25' E | |
| 2 | Kemp Land | 056°25' E | 059°34' E | |
| 3 | Mac Robertson Land | 059°34' E | 072°35' E | |
| 4 | Princess Elizabeth Land | 072°35' E | 087°43' E | |
| 5 | Kaiser Wilhelm II Land | 087°43' E | 091°54' E | |
| 6 | Queen Mary Land | 091°54' E | 100°30' E | |
| 7 | Wilkes Land | 2,600,000 | 100°30' E | 136°11' E |
| 8 | George V Land | 142°02' E | 153°45' E | |
| 9 | Oates Land | 153°45' E | 160°00' E |
[edit] Stations
Active and closed stations in the territory, from West to East:
| Station | Location | District |
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| Molodyozhnaya (Russian) (closed) | Enderby Land | |
| Mawson | Mac Robertson Land (Mawson Coast) | |
| Soyuz (Russian) (closed) | Mac Robertson Land (Lars Christensen Land) | |
| Druznaya (Russian) (closed) | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) | |
| Zhongshan (Chinese) | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) | |
| Law-Racovita Station (Romanian) | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) | |
| Progress Station (Russian) | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) | |
| Davis | Princess Elizabeth Land (Ingrid Christensen Land) | |
| Sovetskaya (Russian) (closed) | Wilhelm II Land | |
| Mirny Station (Russian) | Queen Mary Land | |
| Komsomolskaya (Russian) (closed) | Queen Mary Land | |
| Vostok (Russian) | Wilkes Land (Knox Land) | |
| Wilkes Station (closed) | Wilkes Land (Budd Land) | |
| Casey | Wilkes Land (Budd Land) | |
| Concordia Station (Dome C) (international) | Wilkes Land (Banzare Land) | |
| Leningradskaya (Russian) (closed) | Oates Land |
[edit] History
Victoria Land was first claimed for Britain on 9 January 1841 and Britain claimed Enderby Land in 1930. In 1933, a British imperial order transferred territory south of 60° S and between meridians 160 E and 45 E to Australia. The borders with Adélie Land were fixed definitively in 1938. In 1947, Britain transferred Heard Island and McDonald Islands to the territory. On 13 February 1954 [1], Mawson Station was established as the first Australian station on the continent proper.
Australia's claim to sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic Territory is recognised by the United Kingdom, New Zealand, France and Norway [2]. As Australia is part of the Antarctic Treaty System, which accommodates differences of opinions over the status of Antarctic territorial claims which pre-dated the 1959 Antarctic Treaty - effectively placing claims in abeyance - Australia only exercises its sovereignty in ways that in its view are consistent with good relations under the Antarctic Treaty. Australia signed the treaty on 23 June 1961.
[edit] Postage stamps
Australia issues postage stamps for the Australian Antarctic Territory. The first issues came in 1957, and sporadically thereafter, settling into a pattern of an annual issue by the 1990s. All have been Antarctic-themed, and all are valid for postage in Australia, so in practice they are just Australian stamps with a different inscription.
[edit] Telephone connections
Assigned the Country calling code +672, four Antarctic bases operated by Australia can be reached by direct calling from anywhere in the world. The area codes are 10-6 for Davis, 11-7 for Mawson, 12-8 for Casey and 13-9 for Macquarie Island, in each case followed by three additional digits.
[edit] External links
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