Antarctica

"Antarctica creates a hostile environment," says the operation director for the British Antarctic Survey.

After making a stop for a few hours at a British station on the edge of Antarctica, the two workers were flown to the southernmost Chilean city of Punta Arenas.

Overnight, Chicago reached a low of 21 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, making it slightly colder than Antarctica, Alaska, and the North Pole.

With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.

With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.

The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested.

The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states are over, said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica.

The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.

Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs form Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet.

Scholars warn that Antarctica's political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent's treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.

On a glacier-filled island with fjords and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base.

Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.

Less than an hour away by snowmobile, Chinese labourers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China's plan to operate five bases on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people.

It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.

Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice.

Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.

Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research, but they also acknowledge that concerns about resource security influence their moves.

China has arguably the fastest growing operations in Antarctica.

But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now.

But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.

Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet's driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home.

At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.

As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere's summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole.

Antarctica's mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize.

Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.

And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.

And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire.

Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure.

American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.

According to geologists' estimates, Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.

According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.

As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere's summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station, built in 1956 at

Industrial fishing for krill in the unspoilt waters around Antarctica is threatening the future of one of the world's last great wildernesses, according to a new report.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources(CCAMLR) manages the seas around Antarctica.

The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states are over, "said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica.