Before reading this article, click "Follow" in the upper right corner, which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also can bring you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support!
- Source: 3D Earth Knowledge Bureau
- Author/3D Earth Knowledge Bureau
More than four centuries after the Age of Discovery, there are only a handful of borderlands on Earth. However, there is a land that is larger than China, and its resources are so rich that any regime in the world will be fascinated by it.
Japan began to look at this continent even 65 years ago, so where is this land, what kind of charm does it have, and what kind of song is being played in this land?
The Antarctic continent covers an area of 12.393 million square kilometers, which is larger than China's area and only smaller than Russia's, but why is it that no country has completely occupied this continent with such a large area and such a striking target to this day?
The continent is almost entirely covered by glaciers, accounting for more than 80% of the world's modern ice cover. Continental glaciers stretch from the center to the sea, and icebergs float around the sea.
Such a country of ice and snow, not to mention occupation, even landing is difficult, in addition to the ice cover of the Antarctic continent What about the climate of the Antarctic continent?
The climate is extremely cold, with an extreme minimum temperature of -89.2°C, making it the coldest land in the world, with the most storms and winds.
The average annual precipitation of the whole continent is 55 mm, which is known as the "white desert", and even precipitation is in the form of snowfall, and the snow accumulates over time to form ice sheets and glaciers, reflecting sunlight and further aggravating the cold.
As the cold continues to intensify, a strong cold high pressure forms on the Antarctic continent, resulting in drier and less rain, leading to a vicious cycle.
The Antarctic continent is the highest continent in the world, with an average altitude of 2,350 meters. The Antarctic continent is divided into two parts by the transantarctic mountain ranges.
East Antarctica, which is larger, is an ancient shield and quasi-plain, and West Antarctica is smaller, consisting of mountains, plateaus and basins.
Therefore, the Antarctic continent is difficult to approach for human production activities, and it is difficult to transform after approaching. Why are so many countries still flocking to Antarctica?
Antarctica's resource is Helen in Troy, attracting countless heroes to her. There are three main metallogenic areas in Antarctica: the Andean polymetallic metallogenic zone, which is mainly copper, platinum, gold and other minerals;
In the polymetallic metallogenic area of the Transantarctic Mountains, there are copper, lead, zinc and other minerals, and in the iron-forming area of East Antarctica, in addition to a large amount of iron ore, there are also non-ferrous metals such as copper and platinum.
In addition, in this era of oil as the dominant energy source, the Ross Sea, Weddell Sea and other ocean basins in Antarctica have the greatest oil and gas prospects. The other dominant resource, coal, is the Prince Charles Hill iron ore mine and the coal mine in the Transantarctic Mountains region.
Although Antarctica is very cold, its economic potential should not be underestimated. In addition, Antarctica is rich in penguins, whales, krill and other abundant animal resources.
At present, human exploration of Antarctica can be summarized as gradually exploring the true appearance of Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the beginning from the surrounding to the center, from the flat land to the plateau.
In 1525, the Spanish navigator Josessi was passing through Cape Horn in South America when he discovered a continent across the strait.
Later, when British Captain Drake passed through this section, he saw the Antarctic Peninsula again, so he called the section of the road between South America and the Antarctic continent Drake Passage.
From 1772 to 1775, the British explorer Cook was officially authorized by the British for the first time to explore the rumored "unknown southern continent" and successfully crossed the Antarctic Circle.
It was only in 1819 that Captain William Smith of England discovered the South Shetland Islands. In 1821, John Davis, an American whaling crewman, set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula and became the first man in the world to set foot on Antarctica.
It was only in 1895 that a team led by the Norwegian explorer Boole made its first trip to Antarctica. For a long time after that, people continued to pursue reaching the South Pole
In August 1954, France set up the "Dimon Defville" perennial scientific research station at the Antarctic magnetic point. In January 1957, the United States established the Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole.
In July 1983, Soviet researchers measured the lowest temperature of -89.2 in Antarctica at Vostok Station and determined the freezing point of Antarctica. On January 7, 2009, Kunlun Station was completed, seizing the highest point in the interior of Antarctica.
So far, mankind has established scientific research stations at the South Pole, the magnetic point, the highest point and the freezing point of Antarctica, and the mainland is one of the four.
Subsequently, the countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, which stipulates that Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only, and promotes the freedom of scientific exploration in the Antarctic region and promotes international cooperation in scientific exploration.
To prohibit all activities of a military nature in the Antarctic region, as well as nuclear explosions and the disposal of radiological materials, to freeze current claims to territorial ownership, and to promote international cooperation in science.
Japan's exploration of Antarctica was even earlier than China's, and the separation of Japan and Antarctica began in 1911, when Japanese Navy Captain Shirase explored Antarctica for the first time, becoming the first Asian to reach the Antarctic continent and establishing a scientific observation base on the Antarctic Peninsula.
In 1956, Japan's first post-war Antarctic research ship, the Soya, set sail. This time, Japan's strategic layout of the Antarctic kicked off, and frankly speaking, Japan's development of the Antarctic is not due to the purpose of expansion, but to plunder resources.
In 1955, at the Special Committee on the International Geophysical Year held in Brussels, Belgium, Japan announced that it would participate in the Antarctic expedition.
At that time, the opinions of all countries were opposed to the participation of defeated countries in normal international activities. However, with the support of some countries supporting Japan, Japan has started preparations for the Antarctic expedition.
However, objectively speaking, Japan was very poor and economically depressed at this time, and in order to join the Antarctic strategy, Japan even organized a nationwide donation campaign, and the "Soya", which was burdened with the expectations of the people, set sail, but the inexperienced first battle often did not go well.
The following year, Japan established the "Showa" scientific research base in Antarctica, and since then, Japan has carried out 62 large and small explorations of Antarctica.
And the establishment of a number of scientific research stations, such as the Todai base and the Asada base. In addition to scientific exploration of the earth and observation of changes in space within the scope of the treaty, Japan's exploration of the Antarctic also includes activities that damage the ecological environment, such as whaling.
In response, the international community has been trying to stop Japan's whaling activities, which Japan has been arguing for decades that its actions do not damage the Antarctic ecosystem and that all whaling is used for scientific purposes.
It is not for commercial use, and we can see that Japan has been deploying Antarctica for nearly 70 years under this aggressive development model.
For the future of mankind, Antarctica is just as cold and unreachable as it looks, but in its heart it is playing a song of frost and snow.
A large number of countries, represented by Japan, are rushing to it without hesitation in singing, and a new round of Antarctic competition has begun, and China must always be ready.
Finally, due to the rules of the platform, you will only be considered a fan if you interact with me more. If you like my articles, you can click "Follow" and receive the article push as soon as you become a fan.