The South Shetland Islands are a remote archipelago located in the Southern Ocean, approximately 120 kilometers north of the Antarctic Peninsula. The islands are uninhabited except for personnel at various international research stations. While their physical proximity suggests a geographic connection, they are not part of the Antarctic continental landmass itself. Legally, the islands are recognized as part of the Antarctic Treaty Area, a designation that dictates their governance.
Geographical Classification of the Islands
The South Shetland Islands are an arc-shaped chain of islands situated at the northern edge of the Antarctic region, separating the Drake Passage from the Bransfield Strait. They span roughly 500 kilometers from southwest to northeast, with the largest islands including King George Island, Livingston Island, and Elephant Island. Geologically, the islands are not an extension of the Antarctic continent but are part of the Scotia Arc, which is a submarine ridge and island system linking the Andes Mountains of South America to the Antarctic Peninsula. The islands are volcanic in origin and sit on the small tectonic plate known as the South Shetland Islands Block. This location is geologically active, creating features like the active caldera of Deception Island. The islands are largely covered by permanent ice, with only about two to three percent of the land area being ice-free, usually along the coasts.
The Governing Framework of the Antarctic Treaty System
The legal status of the South Shetland Islands is determined by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), an international agreement that regulates relations concerning Antarctica. The islands fall squarely within the Antarctic Treaty Area, which is explicitly defined as the area south of 60° South latitude, including all ice shelves. The original treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 nations and entered into force in 1961, establishing the continent as a preserve for science and peace. Under the ATS, the islands are to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes, with military activities and nuclear explosions prohibited. The treaty guarantees the freedom of scientific investigation and promotes international cooperation through the exchange of research plans and personnel. The legal mechanism of the treaty ensures that all activities are conducted with a focus on environmental protection and conservation. This legal inclusion is the definitive answer to the question of whether the islands are part of “Antarctica” in the political and legal sense.
Competing Territorial Claims
The South Shetland Islands are subject to overlapping territorial claims by three sovereign states, a situation that the Antarctic Treaty was designed to manage. The United Kingdom was the first to assert a claim in 1908, incorporating the islands into what is now the British Antarctic Territory. Argentina and Chile followed with their own claims in the 1940s, asserting the islands as part of Argentine Antarctica and Chilean Antarctic Territory, respectively. These claims create a complex political overlay in the region, as the claimed sectors of all three nations overlap completely over the archipelago. Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty addresses this tension by neither recognizing, disputing, nor establishing new claims while the treaty is in force. This provision effectively freezes the status quo, allowing the claimant states and all other treaty parties to operate research stations and conduct activities without prejudice to their historical positions. The presence of numerous international research stations on the islands, particularly on King George Island, is a direct result of this legal framework that prioritizes science over sovereignty. By suspending the enforcement of national sovereignty, the treaty ensures that political disputes do not interfere with the primary goal of international scientific collaboration and the peaceful use of the entire region.