British Antarctic Territory

The British Antarctic Territory (English British Antarctic Territory, shortly BAT) is a British overseas territory in Antarctica. It was claimed on 21 July 1908 by Britain and managed to 1962 as Dependency ( Dependency ) of the Falkland Islands. On 3 March 1962, there was formed as the British Antarctic Territory of the Falkland Dependencies Iceland Graham Land, South Orkney Islands and South Shetland Islands.

Geography

The territory comprises the territory of Antarctica south of the 60th parallel south, and between 20 ° and 80 ° west longitude.

In addition to a sector of the Antarctic continent to the South Pole, including the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of the South Orkney Islands and the South Shetland Islands are part of the BAT.

Policy

The British claim to the territory are not internationally recognized. Currently, the political status is regulated by the 1961 Antarctic Treaty came into force, granted the citizens of all nations free access for peaceful purposes. Every visitor continues to be under the jurisdiction of his home country.

The territory is directly managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as far as British activities. Britain has two permanently occupied research stations, Rothera and Halley, who also post offices, which are used in specially issued for the BAT stamps. In addition to hold several other nations research stations in the area that is otherwise uninhabited.

The area with the exception of the sector between 20 ° W and 25 ° W is also claimed by Argentina and Chile. On the Antarctic Peninsula, the claims of the three states overlap.