Countries of Antarctica

Antarctica is the polar region surrounding Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. Antarctica includes the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau, and other island territories located on the Antarctic Plate or south of the Antarctic Convergence. The Antarctic region includes ice shelves, waters, and all island territories in the Southern Ocean located south of the Antarctic Convergence, a zone approximately 32 to 48 km (20 to 30 miles) wide, varying in latitude depending on the season. The region covers about 20% of the Southern Hemisphere, of which 5.5% (14 million km²) is the area of the Antarctic continent itself. All land and ice shelves south of 60° south latitude are governed by the Antarctic Treaty System.