Ceremonial marker at
the South Pole,
including flags of the original
signatory nations of
the Antarctic Treaty

Signed in 1959, the Antarctic Treaty provides the legal framework for the region beyond 60º South latitude. It reserves the region for peace, promotes scientific investigations and international cooperation, requires an annual exchange of information about activities, and encourages environmental stewardship. Representatives of the 29 voting nations (Consultative Parties) and the 21 non-voting (Acceding Parties) meet regularly to discuss Treaty operations.

Agreements negotiated within the Antarctic Treaty system include environmental protection measures for expeditions, stations, and visitors; waste-management provisions; a ban on mining; establishment of specially protected areas; and agreements for the protection of seals and other marine living resources.

• The Antarctic Treaty
  Read the Treaty in its entirety as well as NSF notes about the Treaty.
• U.S. Antarctic Treaty Information Exchange
  This web site contains the information exchange required under Articles III and VII (5) of the Antarctic Treaty.
  
  For archival copies of the U.S. Antarctic Information Exchange, 1997-2008, see http://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/antarct/treaty/index.htm .
• Handbook of the Antarctic Treaty System—U.S. Department of State
  Material about the Antarctic Treaty system, including the Antarctic Treaty itself, the Protocol on Environment Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, and the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
• Antarctic Treaty Secretariat , Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  The Secretariat supports the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and the Committee for Environmental Protection, facilitates the exchange of information among the Treaty Parties, and maintains records of Treaty and related meetings.
• Committee for the Environmental Protocol
  This Committee provides information relevant to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.
  
  For information about Antarctic Specially Protected Areas, Antarctic Specially Managed Areas, and Historic Sites and Monuments, see the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Area Protection and Management/Monuments Page at http://www.ats.aq/e/ep_protected.htm .
• Council of Managers of Antarctic National Programs
  Established in 1988, COMNAP brings together the managers of national agencies responsible for Antarctic operations supporting science, and comprises representatives from 29 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
• Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
  This Commission oversees the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources —the part of the Antarctic Treaty System focused on conserving marine life in the Southern Ocean.
• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
  This Committee is the interdisciplinary committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU). It initiates, promotes, and coordinates scientific research in Antarctica, and provides scientific advice to the Antarctic Treaty System.