Antarctica: the population of the mainland. Russian Antarctic stations

The least studied and most unfriendly continent on Earth is Antarctica. The population of the continent varies between 1 and 4 thousand people. About the main features, the history of development and the inhabitants of the "ice" mainland, read in our article.

Antarctica: general information about the continent and its resources

Almost everyone knows that this continent is the coldest on the planet. It was on its territory (on the Russian polar station "Vostok") that the lowest temperature in the world was recorded - 89.2 degrees with the minus sign.

But few people know about other records of Antarctica. So, the continent is also the driest, the highest and the most windy on Earth. Indeed, it was the lack of drinking water that was the main problem for all who dared to conquer the vast expanses of the continent called Antarctica. The population of the continent also differs in its features. However, this will be discussed later.

It should be noted that Antarctica and its natural resources do not belong to any of the modern states of the world. Although in the past centuries, many empires have tried to establish their control over this or that part of the continent. In 1991, the world community officially approved a special protocol, one of whose articles prohibits the conduct of any economic activity on the territory of Antarctica (in particular, the development of its rich mineral resources). True, the inhabitants of the planet are already acutely aware of the shortage of many mineral resources. Therefore, it is not known how long this protocol will have its force.

Antarctica: the population of the continent and its characteristics

Seals, polar terns, skuas and emperor penguins are the most typical inhabitants of the cold continent. Until the beginning of the XIX century, geographers could safely read this list of animals, answering the question: "Who lives in Antarctica?" However, in 1820 everything changed radically: the continent's foot was first stepped on the firmament.

Who lives in Antarctica today? And what is the size of its general population?

Immediately it is worth mentioning that in Antarctica there is no permanent population due to too extreme weather and climate conditions. This means that the mainland is inhabited only by scientists, service personnel and tourists. All of them stay here temporarily.

How many people are attracted to Antarctica? The population of the continent is about one thousand people in the winter season. In summer, its number can reach 4,000 people. On the mainland, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the most popular.

In 1978, a child was born here for the first time. It was a citizen of Argentina Emilio Marcos Palma. But in 2007 in Antarctica was the first in the history of the wedding ceremony.

History of the mastery of the continent. Russian Antarctica

The history of the Russian mastery of the continent began as early as 1819, when an expedition headed by Lazarev and Bellingshausen set out from Kronstadt to the south. It was she who opened the sixth continent for the world. Great interest in Antarctica was manifested by the Russian Empire and in the late XIX - early XX century, organized several serious scientific expeditions.

In 1946, as some historians suggest, a serious military battle took place over Antarctica. After the end of the Second World War, then allies - the US and the USSR - sent to the shores of the continent powerful military squadrons. As a result, the American expedition did not return to its full composition. However, the details of this Antarctic battle are still shrouded in a lot of secrets and assumptions.

Russian Antarctic stations

To date, 30 states have their own scientific stations in Antarctica. Among them is Russia, which has seven such bases on the mainland. These are Vostok, Progress, Bellingshausen, Novolazarevskaya, Molodezhnaya, Mirny and Leningradskaya stations. Each of them is interesting in its own way.

Thus, at the Vostok station in 1983, an absolute record of low temperature on the Earth was recorded. This is one of the harshest (in terms of weather) places on our planet. Recently, the "pole of cold" was decorated with a monument to Lenin - the southernmost in the world.

At another Russian station, Bellingshausen, in 2004 the first Orthodox church was built on the mainland. But "Novolazarevskaya" boasts the only Russian bathhouse on the whole continent!

But the main center of Russian Antarctica to date is the station "Progress". It performs research, administrative and logistical functions. Here was created an excellent sports complex for polar explorers with sauna, medical equipment and various simulators.