Antarctica

British and American merchants gave this icy cold territory its name. Since there was no further south on the globe, this "cold chamber" was simply called "Southern Land". It was not until some time later that geologists realized that Antarctica was by no means a group of islands, but rather an entire continent. Some countries then tried to secure economic rights to this unusual economic zone, because they hoped - probably rightly - to mine mineral resources under the ice. The entire area is surrounded by a gigantic pack ice zone, but with the melting of the polar ice caps as a result of climate change, the landscape is changing with its wealth of species on land and sea.

• Country data Antarctica