We are going to Antarctica (2)

Originally, the big hit was 'We are going to Ibiza' by the Vengaboys from 1998. Now, the world's wealthy travel to the ice plains of Antarctica. A week's stay costs 110.000 dollars, while a round trip is only 20.000 dollars (in total, you are traveling for 11 hours and spending 2,5 hours in Antarctica), organized by the travel agency 'The White Desert'. Check their website and promo videos. Departure from Cape Town. Frontline Antarctica (6 parts) will be broadcast by VPRO starting March 26, 2026. In several blogs, we highlight the most important aspects of Antarctica.

Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty / Flag of Antarctica

The emblem of the Antarctic Treaty is used occasionally, both due to its use by members since the first consultative meeting in 1961 and because it has inspired other similar flags. Although the origins of this design can be traced back to the first drafting of the treaty in 1959, the advisory members of the Antarctic Treaty did not officially adopt it as an emblem until 2002.

The emblem is used, among other things, in the form of a flag, and is also used on all official documents; officially, this emblem represents the Antarctic Treaty System and not the continent itself.

 

History of Antarctica

Earliest history

Since the breakup of Gondwana, Antarctica has slowly drifted south. It has been covered with ice since the Pliocene.

Once proof of a round earth had been provided, it was assumed that an enormous continent must lie in the south to hold the south down. This was called the Unknown Southern Land, or Terra Australis. As more of the world became known, this continent shrank further and further on world maps – initially, it was still assumed that Tierra del Fuego and New Guinea were part of it.

The definitive proof that such a giant continent did not exist was provided by James Cook, who sailed south of the Arctic Circle three times between 1772 and 1775. However, he never sighted the continent of Antarctica.

 

19e century

By the end of January 1820, three different expeditions had reached Antarctica within a very short time: the Russian Fabian von Bellingshausen, the Briton Edward Bransfield, and the American Nathaniel Palmer.

The Englishman James Clark Ross He then went in search of the (geographic) geomagnetic South Pole. He did not reach it, but he did stumble upon the ice region, which is named the Ross Ice Shelf after him, as well as Ross Island.

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Ross Dependency Ross Dependency is a territorial claim by New Zealand on Antarctica. The area lies between 160° E and 150° W and includes, among other things, the famous Ross Sea and Ross Island. Ross Dependency was claimed in 1923 and administered as an overseas territory of New Zealand until 1961. However, following the Antarctic Treaty, matters are somewhat different, and other countries also have some say in the administration of this area in Antarctica.

Also the Frenchman Jules Dumont d'Urville and the Belgian Adrien de Gerlache did not succeed in this, although they did manage to map a large part of the coastline. Adrien de Gerlache (1866–1934) was a Belgian explorer and officer in the Belgian Royal Navy. He led the Belgian Antarctic expedition of 1897–1899. His party was the first to overwinter in the Antarctic region. De Gerlache's polar ship, the Belgium (named after the Roman name for northern Gaul) became frozen, so his expedition was forced to overwinter in Antarctica.

 

Race to the South Pole

In 1903, Argentina established the Orcadas Base on the South Orkney Islands, the first permanently inhabited settlement.

In the year 1902, they Robert Falcon Scott en Ernest Shackleton an attempt to reach the geographical South Pole, during which they reached 82°17′ S. In 1907, Shackleton tried again. It failed once more – he reached 88°23′ S – but his expedition did reach the geomagnetic South Pole and, moreover, he was the first to reach the Antarctic Plateau.

Four years later, expeditions by Scott and the Norwegian departed. Roald Amundsen around the same time, with the goal of reaching the pole. Amundsen was there first, and on December 14, 1911, a human stood on the pole for the first time. Scott reached the pole about a month later, where he discovered that Amundsen had beaten him to it. However, Scott and his companions did not survive the return journey.

In 1914, Shackleton attempted to cross the continent, but this attempt failed. In 1929, he succeeded. Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957) did enter by plane. Byrd would undertake a total of five expeditions to the area (1928-30 / 1933-35 / 1939-40 / 1946-47 / 1955-56). Thanks to his previously acquired fame, money for these trips was no longer a problem.

During the first expedition, on November 28 and 29, 1929, he was the first to fly over the South Pole. Later, Byrd built a base there. It was named Little America and consisted of three aircraft, three dog teams, photographers, and radio technicians. Their objective was to explore the South Pole. With the later expeditions, Byrd made a major contribution to the geographical discovery of this region. As a result, his country, the United States, was able to claim the explored area as its own.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

VPRO, Frontline from March 26, 2026, Antarctica: https://npo.nl/start/serie/frontlinie/afleveringen

Previous Antarctica blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/antarctica/