finally allowed to secede; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980 with Anguilla becoming a
separate British dependency.

Antarctica:
Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was
not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American
commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions
began exploring the Peninsula region and areas south of the
Antarctic Circle. Not until 1838 was it established that Antarctica
was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Various
"firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century, including: 1902,
first balloon flight (by British explorer Robert Falcon SCOTT);
1912, first to the South Pole (five Norwegian explorers under Roald
AMUNDSEN); 1928, first fixed-wing aircraft flight (by Australian
adventurer/explorer Sir Hubert WILKINS); 1929, first flight over the
South Pole (by Americans Richard BYRD and Bernt BALCHEN); and 1935,
first transantarctic flight (American Lincoln ELLSWORTH). Following
World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the
continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research
stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but no
other country recognizes these claims. In order to form a legal
framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an
Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives
recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it
entered into force in 1961.

Antigua and Barbuda:
The islands of Antigua and Barbuda became an
independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in
1981. Some 3,000 refugees fleeing a volcanic eruption on nearby
Montserrat have settled in Antigua and Barbuda since 1995.

Arctic Ocean:
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five
oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and
the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US
and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two
important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river,
and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.

Argentina:
Following independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina
experienced periods of internal political conflict between
conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military
factions. After World War II, a long period of Peronist dictatorship
was followed by a militar