Who owns Antarctica? That’s an interesting question that many of my geography students wondered and asked over the years. The answer to that question is a clear and simple one. As more people, countries, and companies explore the continent it will become more and more important to define what can or cannot be done in Antarctica. CGP Grey tackles these issues in his video Who Owns Antarctica?

Applications for Education

The video raises a couple of good questions to have your students research and discuss. First, what are the natural resources that countries and companies might want to extract from Antarctica? Who should manage conservation on the continent? What will happen to Antarctica as more countries try to make claims to it?