Chilean Antarctic Territory

The Chilean Antarctic Territory, or Chilean Antarctica (Spanish: Territorio Chileno Antártico, Antártica Chilena), is a part of West Antarctica and nearby islands claimed by Chile. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes 53°W and 90°W, partially overlapping the Antarctic claims of Argentina (Argentine Antarctica) and of the United Kingdom (British Antarctic Territory). It constitutes the Antártica commune of Chile.

The territory covers the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula (called O'Higgins Land—Tierra de O'Higgins—in Chile), and the adjacent islands of Alexander Island, Charcot Island, Ellsworth Land, among others. It has an area of 1,250,257.6 km². Its boundaries are defined by Decree 1747, issued on November 6, 1940, and published on June 21 June 1955, in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established:

The Chilean Antarctica or Chilean Antarctic Territory is: all lands, islands, islets, reefs, glaciers (pack-ice), and others, known and unknown, and respective territorial waters, existing within the limits of the cap constituted by the meridians 53° longitude west of Greenwich and 90° longitude west of Greenwich.

Within the Chilean territorial organization, Antártica is the commune that administers the territory. The commune of Antártica is managed by the municipality of Cabo de Hornos with a seat in Puerto Williams in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago (thus Antártica is the only commune in Chile not administered by a municipality of its own). It belongs to Antártica Chilena Province, which is part of Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. The commune was created on July 11, 1961, and was dependent on the Magallanes Province until 1974, when the Antártica Chilena Province was created, making it administratively dependent on the Province capital, Puerto Williams.

Chilean territorial claims on Antarctica are mainly based on historical, legal, and geographical considerations. Chilean sovereignty over the Chilean Antarctic Territory is exercised in all aspects that were not limited by the signing of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. This treaty established that Antarctic activities are to be devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes of the signatories and acceding countries, thereby freezing territorial disputes and preventing the construction of new claims or the expansion of existing ones.

The Chilean Antarctic Territory corresponds geographically to areas UTC-4, UTC-5, and UTC-6, but as with Magallanes it uses UTC-3 year-round.

Chile currently has 13 active Antarctic bases: 4 permanent, 5 seasonal, and 4 shelters.