Demographics of Antarctica

Antarctica has no indigenous inhabitants, but there are permanently and seasonally staffed research stations, field camps, and former whaling settlements. The largest of these, McMurdo Station, has a population (summer) of about 1200 residents. Approximately 29 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) and year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans. The population of persons doing and supporting scientific research on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty) varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research are present in the waters of the treaty region.

At least ten children have been born in West Antarctica. The first was Emilio Marcos Palma, born on January 7, 1978 to Argentine parents at Esperanza, Hope Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula.^[1] In 1984, Juan Pablo Camacho was born at the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base, becoming the first Chilean born in Antarctica. Soon after, a girl, Gisella, was born at the same station. In 2001, National Geographic reported that eight children had been born at Esperanza alone.

Nation	Summer (January) population 3,687 total (1998-9)	Winter (July) population 964 total (1998-9)	Year-round Stations 42 total (1998-9)	Summer-only Stations 32 total (1998-9)
Argentina	302	165	6	7
Australia	201	75	4	4
Belgium	13	-	-	-
Brazil	80	12	1	-
Bulgaria	16	-	-	1
Chile	352	129	4	7
People's Republic of China	70	33	2	-
Finland	11	-	1	-
France	100	33	1	-
Germany	51	9	1	1
India	60	25	1	1
Italy	106	-	1	-
Japan	136	40	1	3
South Korea	14	14	1	-
Netherlands	10	-	-	-
New Zealand	60	10	1	1
Norway	30	6	1	1
Peru	28	-	-	1
Poland	70	20	1	-
Romania	20	11	-	-
Russia	254	102	6	3
South Africa	80	10	1	-
Spain	43	-	1	-
Sweden	20	-	-	2
Ukraine			1	-
UK	192	39	2	5
US	1,378	248	3	-
Uruguay			1	-

Languages

The most common language in Antarctica is English followed by Spanish. French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Hindi, Japanese and many other languages are also spoken on the continent.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Esperanza Base
• Villa Las Estrellas
• Argentine Antarctica
• List of research stations in Antarctica
• List of Antarctic field camps
• List of Antarctic expeditions
• McMurdo Station
• Colonization of Antarctica
• Religion in Antarctica

References

1. ^ Emilio Marcos Palma at 30

External Links

• Antarctica on the CIA world factbook, includes section on the population of Antarctica