Antarctica is the icy continent, the sixth continent, which for a long time remained unprinted on the maps. They suspected its existence at the beginning of our era. From then until the moment when they discovered Antarctica, more than ten centuries passed. The reason for this inaccessibility lies in extremely low temperatures, drifting ice, as well as imperfections in technology.
Assumptions
The answer to the question of in which century Antarctica was discovered can be approached from different angles. In many sciences, the time of discovery of a phenomenon is considered the day when it was described. There is even a corresponding expression "opening at the tip of a pen." If such an approach were recognized in geography, today textbooks would look different. The time when they discovered Antarctica would be considered Antiquity. Then many thinkers wrote about the probable existence of a land located south of the already known continents.
The very name of the mainland was first mentioned in the second century AD in the works of the ancient Greek geographer Marina of Tire. Antarctica means opposite to the Arctic. Aristotle also wrote about the distant southern land, considering it necessary to balance the excess land in the north. The famous continent astronomer Ptolemy also supported the version of the hidden continent.
Attempts
The answer to the question: "In what century was Antarctica discovered?" could differ from what we know today if at least one of the attempts to reach the mysterious continent carried out in the 16th-17th centuries was crowned with success. One of the expeditions was led by Amerigo Vespucci. At the beginning of the sixteenth century he reached the island of South Georgia. The ships did not sail further due to the unusually severe frost.
The next famous attempt, which had a chance to change our idea of the century in which Antarctica was discovered, was made by James Cook. In 1773, the ship under his leadership crossed the Southern Arctic Circle for the first time in history. Cook became the discoverer of several arctic islands and has moved quite far into the waters of the sixth continent. However, insurmountable ice blocked his path. The traveler wrote about the impossibility of avoiding such an obstacle later in his diary. And only after about 50 years, this assumption was refuted by the Russian sailors Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
Great geographical discovery
The famous voyage on the Mirny and Vostok ships began in mid-1819. The expedition was headed by the discovery of Antarctica, Lazarev and Bellingshausen. Moving south, the mariners met three islands, subsequently called the Marques de Traverse group. They reached the Sandwich Land discovered by Cook and found it to be an archipelago. It received the name Sandwich Islands. January 16 (old style), 1820, the ships coped with the task that James Cook could not solve. Soon they came a fairly close distance to the coast of the icy continent, later called Princess Martha's Shore. So the discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen and Lazarev took place. The official date of the event is January 28 (old style), 1820.
Another version
However, not everything is so simple here. Bellingshausen and Lazarev did not land on the continent. For this reason, not all researchers agree to consider the named number the date when they discovered Antarctica. In geography, as in any science, there is a set of rules. For example, it is considered to be the discoverer of a person who, earlier than others, has stepped on a new earth. In this case, the “heroes of history” are the Norwegian sailors Christensen and Borchgrevink. The day they discovered Antarctica becomes January 23, 1895.
However, there are few supporters of this version, and the official date remains unchanged.
Mastering
The time when the ice continent began to slowly reveal its secrets was the 20th century. In 1911, the Royal Amundsen expedition took place. Among her achievements was the first ever successful journey to the South Pole. Soon he was reached by the team of Robert Scott, who died tragically on the way back.
The middle of the century was the time of industrial development of the ice continent. The largest study of Antarctica began in 1956. It was then that the coast of the mainland reached the first Soviet expedition, led by Mikhail Somov. This and subsequent groups of researchers were tasked with equipping the stations, collecting data on atmospheric phenomena, temperature and other conditions, the animal kingdom of the continent, and the influence of air masses moving from here on the climate in the lands located to the north.
The international cooperation
In 1956, the study of Antarctica was not yet fully regulated. The final agreement at the international level was reached in early 1959, when several countries signed the Antarctic Treaty. He made the sixth continent a zone free of military activity. Since then, it is forbidden to dispose of toxic and radioactive wastes on its territory. What else have countries agreed to? Researchers of several powers reached Antarctica by that time, but there were also those who only aspired to this. Be that as it may, both of them refused for an indefinite period from territorial claims. The sixth continent has become a place of international scientific cooperation and remains so to this day.
Achievements
During the Soviet Union, several stations were created on the ice continent. During the most active scientific activity, the number of year-round workers reached eight. In winter, up to 180 people worked for them. In the summer, the number of employees reached 450.
Over the entire period of the work of the Soviet Antarctic Expedition (SAE), a lot of important information was received about the continent. Plains, mountains, bays and islands appeared on the map of the area. Phenomena such as the northern lights and magnetic storms have been studied. Researchers paid much attention to the influence of atmospheric phenomena of the icy continent on the weather in other areas of our planet. The achievements of Soviet scientists formed the basis of Russian scientific programs for the development of Antarctica.
Modernity
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the SAE was replaced by the Russian Antarctic expedition. Every year, researchers continue the work of their predecessors in the harsh conditions of the ice continent. Today, the number of major year-round operating stations is five. Most of the research activity is carried out on their territory. In addition to them, polar explorers have at their disposal two seasonal field stations. At the same time, more than two hundred Russian specialists are engaged in scientific research on the continent.
Progress
The sixth continent is not a resort. Extremely low temperatures and hurricane winds - this is what Antarctica is famous for. The ocean surrounding her is completely inhospitable. Therefore, people with good health and a receptive mind were always sent here, able to withstand a large load and make decisions in difficult unforeseen circumstances. On the other hand, such conditions leave their mark on the technologies used in the construction and equipment of stations. Fortunately, the current level of scientific progress allows expedition members to devote less time to maintaining the comfortable conditions of their stay in a harsh region. As a result of the emergence of new technologies, tools, and methods, researchers get the opportunity to expand the field of their activity every year, and we will learn more about the secrets of the ice continent.
Phenomenon
A good example of this is ice drilling in the vicinity of Vostok station. There, in the late 50s of the last century, the location of the lake was determined. It is located under a thick layer of ice and probably exists in this form for several million years. The lake, named after the Vostok station, can be a haven for microorganisms that have never come into contact with the terrestrial biosphere.
As a result of drilling, the surface of the ice reservoir was reached in 2012. Scientists gained access to the extracted material. The analysis of the data causes a controversial reaction of researchers. The DNA sequences of a large number of microorganisms were discovered, however, it is likely that some of them were introduced during drilling, and the other is the remains of extinct creatures.
The study of the lake is also of interest because the methods used for this may be useful in the future. Scientists suggest that they will be needed during the development of the territory of the moons of Jupiter (Callisto and Europe), the surface of which supposedly hides similar formations.
One way or another, the study of Lake Vostok and Antarctica as a whole continues. Every day, scientists work in the harsh conditions of the icy continent on the disclosure of its secrets. There are still a lot of them. You could even say that the questions, assumptions and mystical legends associated with the sixth continent, now have become greater than they were before the discovery of Antarctica. I would like to believe that the indefatigable human mind will be able to find explanations for at least part of the mysteries offered to it by nature.