Antarctic Territory, British

Alongside the British flag stands the badge of the British Antarctic Territory. Its crest is the Discovery, the ship in which English explorer Robert Scott (Scott of the Antarctic) travelled to the pole in 1901. The motto is 'Research and Discovery'.

British dependent territory created in 1961 and comprising all British territories south of latitude 60° south and between 20° and 80° west longitude, including the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and all adjacent lands, and Coats Land, extending to the South Pole; total land area 1,810,000 sq km/700,000 sq mi; population (exclusively scientific personnel) c. 300.

Until 1961 the area, much of which is also claimed by Chile and Argentina, was included in the Falkland Islands Dependencies. The islands are rugged and inhospitable, and the Antarctic Peninsula is mountainous, rising to 2,338 m/7,671 ft. The main continental masses are ice-capped, and the territory as a whole has a rigorous Antarctic climate.

Scientific personnel are the only inhabitants. The British Antarctic Survey has maintained bases there since 1943–44; two bases, Halley Bay and Rothera, are permanently occupied, and there are a number of others occupied during the summer season. The bases are only accessible between November and May, during which time the personnel are relieved by the Royal Research Ships James Clark Ross and Bransfield. There are also some Argentine, Chilean, US, and Ukrainian scientific bases within the region. The territory is administered by a High Commissioner, in practice the Governor of the Falkland Islands.