mmary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed
on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961,
establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica;
the 27th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Cape
Town, South Africa in May-June 2004; at these periodic meetings,
decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative
member nations; at the end of 2003, there were 45 treaty member
nations: 28 consultative and 17 non-consultative; consultative
(decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim
portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap)
and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the
right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of
others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the
consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are
carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own
nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national
laws; the year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was
accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the
country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are
- Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the
UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983),
Bulgaria (1998) China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989),
Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea
(1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), Russia,
South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Ukraine (1992), Uruguay
(1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession
in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Canada (1988), Colombia
(1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia
(2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea
(1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993),
Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1995), and Venezuela (1999); Article 1 -
area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such
as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and
equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful
purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and
cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information
and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international
agencies; Artic