These pages provide information on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s objectives in Antarctica, how we are protecting the continent and UK legislation related to Antarctica.
Information on both the FCO, and the UK's work in the Antarctic Region...
The Antarctic Treaty was signed on 1 December 1959 in Washington by the twelve countries whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58.
The CCAMLR came into force in 1982 having been established in 1981 to fulfil Article IX of the Antarctic Treaty.
Protecting the Antarctic doesn’t just resolve around ensuring an effective food supply, a fact recognised by the Antarctic Treaty’s establishment of its Environmental Protocol in 1991.
You can find British activity all over Antarctica. From the groundbreaking research of the British Antarctic Survey at its three Antarctic bases, to the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Vessel.