Research stations in Antarctica

Map shows the location of permanent Antarctic Research stations

Countries that have one or more stations in Antarctica

Shows the location of Antarctic research stations and their proximity to other continents

A number of governments have set up permanent research stations in Antarctica and these bases are widely distributed. Unlike the drifting ice stations set up in the Arctic, the Research stations of the Antarctic are constructed either on rock or on ice that is (for practical purposes) fixed in place.

Many of the stations are staffed around the year. A total of 42 countries (as of October 2006), all signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, operate seasonal (summer) and year-round research stations on the continent. The population of people performing and supporting scientific research on the continent and nearby islands varies from approximately 4,000 during the summer season to 1,000 during winter (June).^[1] In addition to these permanent stations, approximately 30 field camps are established each summer to support specific projects.^{[2][dubious – discuss]}

History[]

First bases[]

"Omond House", the first permanent base, built in 1903 by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition

During the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration in the late 19th century, the first bases on the continent were established. In 1898, Carsten Borchgrevink, a Norwegian/British explorer, led the British Antarctic Expedition to Cape Adare, where he established the first Antarctic base on Ridley Beach. The expedition is often referred to now as the Southern Cross Expedition, after expedition ship name. Most of the staff were Norwegian, but the funds for the expedition were British, provided by Sir George Newnes. The 10 members of the expedition explored Robertson Bay to the west of Cape Adare by dog teams, and later, after being picked up by the ship at the base, went ashore on the Ross Ice Shelf for brief journeys. The expedition hut is still in good condition and visited frequently by tourists.

The hut was later occupied by Scott's Northern Party under the command of Victor Campbell for a year in 1911, after its attempt to explore the eastern end of the ice shelf discovered Roald Amundsen already ashore preparing for his assault on the South Pole.

In 1903, Dr William S. Bruce's Scottish National Antarctic Expedition set off to Antarctica, with one of its aims to establish a meteorological station in the area. After the expedition failed to find land, Bruce decided to head back to the Laurie Island in the South Orkneys and find an anchorage there.^[3] The islands were well-situated as a site for a meteorological station, and their relative proximity to the South American mainland allowed a permanent station to be established.^[4] Bruce instituted a comprehensive programme of work, involving meteorological readings, trawling for marine samples, botanical excursions, and the collection of biological and geological specimens.^[3]

The major task completed during this time was the construction of a stone building, christened "Omond House".^[5] This was to act as living accommodation for the parties that would remain on Laurie Island to operate the proposed meteorological laboratory. The building was constructed from local materials using the dry stone method, with a roof improvised from wood and canvas sheeting. The completed house was 20 feet by 20 feet square (6m × 6m), with two windows, fitted as quarters for six people. Rudmose Brown wrote: "Considering that we had no mortar and no masons' tools it is a wonderfully fine house and very lasting. I should think it will be standing a century hence ..."^[6]

Bruce later offered to Argentina the transfer of the station and instruments on the condition that the government committed itself to the continuation of the scientific mission.^[7] Bruce informed the British officer William Haggard of his intentions in December 1903, and Haggard ratified the terms of Bruce's proposition.^[8]

The Scotia sailed back for Laurie Island on 14 January 1904 carrying on board Argentinean officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, National Meteorological Office, Ministry of Livestock and National Postal and Telegraphs Office. In 1906, Argentina communicated to the international community the establishment of a permanent base on the South Orkney Islands.

WWII and postwar expansion[]

Little happened for the following forty years until the Second World War, when the British launched Operation Tabarin in 1943, to establish a presence on the continent. The chief reason was to establish solid British claims to various uninhabited islands and parts of Antarctica, reinforced by Argentine sympathies toward Germany.

View of Chile's Captain Arturo Prat Base, established in 1947

Prior to the start of the war, German aircraft had dropped markers with swastikas across Queen Maud Land in an attempt to create a territorial claim (New Swabia).^[9] Led by Lieutenant James Marr, the 14-strong team left the Falkland Islands in two ships, HMS William Scoresby (a minesweeping trawler) and Fitzroy, on Saturday January 29, 1944. Marr had accompanied the British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on his final Antarctic expedition in 1921–22.

Bases were established during February near the abandoned Norwegian whaling station on Deception Island, where the Union Flag was hoisted in place of Argentine flags, and at Port Lockroy (on February 11) on the coast of Graham Land. A further base was founded at Hope Bay on February 13, 1945, after a failed attempt to unload stores on February 7, 1944. These bases were the first ever to be constructed on the mainland Antarctica.^[10]

The United States starting under the leadership of Admiral Richard E. Byrd constructed a series of five bases near the Bay of Whales named Little America between 1929 and 1958. All of them have now drifted off to sea on icebergs.

Operation provoked a massive expansion in international activity after the war. Chile organized its First Chilean Antarctic Expedition in 1947–48. Among other accomplishments, it brought the Chilean president Gabriel González Videla to personally inaugurate one of its bases, thereby becoming the first head of state to set foot on the continent.^[11] Signy Research Station (UK) was established in 1947, Australia's Mawson Station in 1954, Dumont d'Urville Station was the first French station in 1956. In that same year, the United States built McMurdo Station and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, and the Soviet Union built Mirny Station.

List of research stations[]

The United States maintains the southernmost Base, Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, and the largest base and research station in Antarctica, McMurdo Station. The second-southernmost base is the Chinese Kunlun Station at 80°25′02″S during the summer season, and the Russian Vostok Station at 78°27′50″S during the winter season.

Station name	LOCODE	Type	Country	Year Est.	Administered by	Location	Status & Activities	Coordinates	Time zone	Average Annual Temp °C
Aboa	AQ ABA	Summer	Finland	1988		Queen Maud Land	Active	73°02′32″S 13°24′26″W / 73.042283°S 13.407350°W / -73.042283; -13.407350
Aguirre Cerda	AQ	Summer	Chile	1955	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Deception Island	Closed 1967	62°56′01″S 60°35′45″W / 62.933704°S 60.5958931°W / -62.933704; -60.5958931
Amundsen–Scott South Pole	AQ AMS	Permanent	United States	1957	United States Antarctic Program	Geographical South Pole	Active	90°S 0°E / 90°S 0°E / -90; 0 (Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (USA))	UTC+12*	-49.5
Arctowski	AQ ARC	Permanent	Poland	1977	Polish Academy of Sciences	King George Island	Active	62°09′37″S 58°28′24″W / 62.160140°S 58.473247°W / -62.160140; -58.473247
[12]	AQ	Permanent	New Zealand	1959	Antarctica New Zealand	Ross Island	Active	77°49′50″S 166°39′40″E / 77.830577°S 166.661174°E / -77.830577; 166.661174
[12]	AQ	Permanent	New Zealand	1959	Antarctica New Zealand	Ross Island	Active	77°49′48″S 166°39′42″E / 77.830016°S 166.661659°E / -77.830016; 166.661659
Artigas	AQ ART	Permanent	Uruguay	1984	Uruguayan Antarctic Institute	King George Island	Active	62°11′04″S 58°54′14″W / 62.184444°S 58.903889°W / -62.184444; -58.903889	UTC−3
Arturo Parodi	AQ	Summer	Chile	1999	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Ellsworth Land	Closed Relocated to Union Glacier 2014	80°18′15″S 81°23′13″W / 80.304170°S 81.3870573°W / -80.304170; -81.3870573
Arturo Prat	AQ APT	Permanent	Chile	1947	Chilean Navy	Greenwich Island	Active	62°28′44″S 59°39′52″W / 62.478889°S 59.664444°W / -62.478889; -59.664444	UTC−3	-2
Asuka	AQ	Summer	Japan	1985	National Institute of Polar Research	Queen Maud Land	Closed Unmanned activity	71°31′33″S 24°06′41″E / 71.525950°S 24.111409°E / -71.525950; 24.111409
[13]	AQ	Summer	Australia	1995	Australian Antarctic Division	Beaver Lake	Active	70°47′42″S 68°10′08″E / 70.795115°S 68.168909°E / -70.795115; 68.168909
Belgrano I	AQ	Permanent	Argentina	1955	Instituto Antártico Argentino	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Abandoned 1980	77°46′S 38°11′W / 77.767°S 38.183°W / -77.767; -38.183	UTC−3
Belgrano II	AQ BEL	Permanent	Argentina	1979	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Coats Land	Active	77°52′25″S 34°37′39″W / 77.873696°S 34.627588°W / -77.873696; -34.627588	UTC−3	-13.3
Belgrano III	AQ	Permanent	Argentina	1980	Instituto Antártico Argentino	Berkner Island	Abandoned 1984	77°54′02″S 45°47′01″W / 77.900556°S 45.783611°W / -77.900556; -45.783611	UTC−3
Bellingshausen	AQ BHN	Permanent	Russia	1968	Russian Antarctic Expedition	King George Island	Active	62°11′55″S 58°57′38″W / 62.198591°S 58.960547°W / -62.198591; -58.960547		-2.3
Bharati	AQ	Permanent	India	2012	National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research	Larsemann Hills	Active	69°24′29″S 76°11′14″E / 69.408030°S 76.187361°E / -69.408030; 76.187361
	AQ	Summer	South Africa	1969	South African National Antarctic Programme	Borg Massif	Closed 1976	72°58′00″S 3°48′00″W / 72.966667°S 3.8°W / -72.966667; -3.8
Brockton	AQ	Summer	United States	1965	United States Navy	Ross Ice Shelf	Abandoned 1972	80°02′00″S 178°42′00″W / 80.033333°S 178.7°W / -80.033333; -178.7
Brown	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1951	Instituto Antártico Argentino	Paradise Harbor	Active	64°53′44″S 62°52′15″W / 64.895476°S 62.870905°W / -64.895476; -62.870905	UTC−3	+2
Byrd	AQ	Permanent Summer since 1972	United States	1957	United States Antarctic Program	Marie Byrd Land	Closed 2005	80°00′53″S 119°33′56″W / 80.01472°S 119.56556°W / -80.01472; -119.56556		-28.1
Cámara	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1953	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Half Moon Island	Active	62°35′41″S 59°55′07″W / 62.594847°S 59.918558°W / -62.594847; -59.918558	UTC−3
Carvajal (ex Station T)	AQ	Summer	Chile	1984	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Adelaide Island	Active	67°45′40″S 68°54′52″W / 67.761201°S 68.914365°W / -67.761201; -68.914365
Casey	AQ CAS	Permanent	Australia	1957	Australian Antarctic Division	Vincennes Bay	Active	66°16′57″S 110°31′36″E / 66.282514°S 110.526613°E / -66.282514; 110.526613	UTC+8	-8
Charcot[14]	AQ	Permanent	France	1957	French Polar Institute	Adélie Land	Closed 1959 Abandoned	69°22′30″S 139°01′00″E / 69.375°S 139.016667°E / -69.375; 139.016667
Collins	AQ	Summer	Chile	2006	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Fildes Peninsula	Active	62°10′09″S 58°51′07″W / 62.169250°S 58.851852°W / -62.169250; -58.851852
Comandante Ferraz	AQ CFZ	Permanent	Brazil	1984	Brazilian Antarctic Program	King George Island	Active	62°05′07″S 58°23′29″W / 62.085379°S 58.391513°W / -62.085379; -58.391513	UTC−3	-1.8
Concordia	AQ CON	Permanent	Italy  France	2005	National Antarctic Research Program and IPEV	Dome C Antarctic Plateau	Active	75°05′59″S 123°19′56″E / 75.099780°S 123.332196°E / -75.099780; 123.332196	UTC+10	-51.7
Dakshin Gangotri	AQ	Permanent	India	1984	National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research	Dakshin Gangotri Glacier	Closed 1990 Support base	69°24′24″S 76°11′36″E / 69.406752°S 76.193379°E / -69.406752; 76.193379
Dallmann	AQ	Summer	Germany	1994	Alfred Wegener Institute	Carlini Station	Active	62°14′18″S 58°40′04″W / 62.238251°S 58.667764°W / -62.238251; -58.667764
Davis	AQ DAV	Permanent	Australia	1957	Australian Antarctic Division	Princess Elizabeth Land	Active	68°34′36″S 77°58′03″E / 68.576667°S 77.9675°E / -68.576667; 77.9675	UTC+7	-13.0
Deception	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1948	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Deception Island	Active	62°58′31″S 60°41′52″W / 62.975284°S 60.697771°W / -62.975284; -60.697771	UTC−3
Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory	AQ	Summer	Netherlands	2013	British Antarctic Survey and Netherlands Polar Programme	Rothera Station	Active	67°34′08″S 68°07′29″W / 67.568979°S 68.124626°W / -67.568979; -68.124626		-5.3
Dobrowolski (ex Oasis)	AQ	Summer	Poland	1959	Polish Academy of Sciences	Wilkes Land	Closed 1998	66°16′28″S 100°45′00″E / 66.274514°S 100.749889°E / -66.274514; 100.749889
Dome Fuji	AQ DMF	Summer	Japan	1995	National Institute of Polar Research	Queen Maud Land	Closed	77°18′59″S 39°42′04″E / 77.316285°S 39.701049°E / -77.316285; 39.701049		-54.3
	AQ	Summer	Germany	1986	Alfred Wegener Institute	Queen Maud Land	Closed 2004	72°50′00″S 19°02′00″W / 72.833333°S 19.033333°W / -72.833333; -19.033333
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1960	Soviet Antarctic Expedition	Zavadovskiy Island	Closed 1960	66°43′00″S 86°24′00″E / 66.716667°S 86.4°E / -66.716667; 86.4
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1975	Soviet Antarctic Expedition	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Closed 1986 Lost	77°34′00″S 40°13′00″W / 77.566667°S 40.216667°W / -77.566667; -40.216667
[ru]	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1982	Soviet Antarctic Expedition	Lassiter Coast	Closed 1986	75°36′00″S 57°52′00″W / 75.6°S 57.866667°W / -75.6; -57.866667
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1982	Soviet Antarctic Expedition	Queen Maud Land	Closed 1986	71°06′00″S 10°49′00″W / 71.1°S 10.816667°W / -71.1; -10.816667
[ru]	AQ DRZ	Summer	Soviet Union  Russia	1987	Soviet Antarctic Expedition Russian Antarctic Expedition	Princess Elizabeth Land	Closed 1995	69°44′00″S 73°42′00″E / 69.7333333°S 73.7°E / -69.7333333; 73.7
Dumont d'Urville	AQ DDU	Permanent	France	1956	IPEV	Adélie Land	Active	66°39′46″S 140°00′07″E / 66.662778°S 140.001944°E / -66.662778; 140.001944	UTC+10	-11.1
	AQ	Summer	South Africa	1985		Fimbul Ice Shelf	Active	70°18′00″S 2°26′00″W / 70.3°S 2.433333°W / -70.3; -2.433333
East Base	AQ	Permanent	United States	1941	United States Antarctic Service Expedition	Stonington Island	Closed 1948	68°11′02″S 66°59′53″W / 68.183841°S 66.998158°W / -68.183841; -66.998158
Eco-Nelson	AQ	Permanent	Czechoslovakia  Czech Republic	1989	Private station	Nelson Island	Active	62°14′47″S 58°58′56″W / 62.246312°S 58.982251°W / -62.246312; -58.982251
Eduardo Frei and Villa Las Estrellas	AQ	Permanent	Chile	1969	Chilean Air Force	King George Island	Active	62°11′35″S 58°58′55″W / 62.193126°S 58.981986°W / -62.193126; -58.981986	UTC−3	-2.3
Eights	AQ	Permanent	United States	1963	National Science Foundation	Ellsworth Land[15]	Closed 1965	75°14′00″S 77°10′00″W / 75.233333°S 77.166667°W / -75.233333; -77.166667Coordinates: 75°14′00″S 77°10′00″W / 75.233333°S 77.166667°W / -75.233333; -77.166667
Ellsworth	AQ	Permanent	United States  Argentina	1957	United States Navy Instituto Antártico Argentino	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Transferred to Argentina in 1959 Closed 1962	77°39′00″S 41°02′00″W / 77.65°S 41.033333°W / -77.65; -41.033333		-22
Elichiribehety (ex Station D)	AQ	Summer	Uruguay	1997	Uruguayan Antarctic Institute	Hope Bay	Active	63°24′09″S 56°59′27″W / 63.402478°S 56.990707°W / -63.402478; -56.990707
Escudero	AQ ESC	Permanent	Chile	1994	Instituto Antártico Chileno	King George Island	Active	62°12′05″S 58°57′44″W / 62.201382°S 58.962358°W / -62.201382; -58.962358	UTC−3
Esperanza	AQ ESP	Permanent	Argentina	1953	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Hope Bay	Active	63°23′51″S 56°59′52″W / 63.3975°S 56.997778°W / -63.3975; -56.997778	UTC−3	-4.6
Filchner	AQ	Summer	Germany	1982	Alfred Wegener Institute	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Abandoned and lost 1999	77°06′00″S 50°24′00″W / 77.10000°S 50.4000°W / -77.10000; -50.4000
Fossil Bluff (ex ) [16]	AQ	Permanent intermittently Summer	United Kingdom	1961	British Antarctic Survey	Alexander Island	Active	71°19′24″S 68°17′16″W / 71.323389°S 68.287722°W / -71.323389; -68.287722
Gabriel de Castilla	AQ GDC	Summer	Spain	1989	Spanish National Research Council	Deception Island	Active Marine biology[17]	62°58′37″S 60°40′31″W / 62.976951°S 60.675305°W / -62.976951; -60.675305
General Bernardo O'Higgins	AQ OHG	Permanent	Chile	1948	Chilean Army	Cape Legoupil	Active Logistics	63°19′15″S 57°53′59″W / 63.320947°S 57.899677°W / -63.320947; -57.899677	UTC−3	-3.9
Georg Forster	AQ	Permanent	East Germany  Germany	1976 1990	Alfred Wegener Institute	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Closed 1993	70°46′39″S 11°50′56″E / 70.777493°S 11.848847°E / -70.777493; 11.848847
	AQ	Permanent	Germany	1991	German Aerospace Center	Cape Legoupil	Active	63°19′15″S 57°54′02″W / 63.320873°S 57.900615°W / -63.320873; -57.900615
[18]	AQ BGB	Summer	Italy	1976	Private station	Italia Valley	Taken apart by the Argentine Navy 1976	62°10′05″S 58°30′18″W / 62.168055°S 58.505071°W / -62.168055; -58.505071
Gondwana	AQ	Summer	Germany	1983	Alfred Wegener Institute	Transantarctic Mountains	Active	74°38′07″S 164°13′19″E / 74.635399°S 164.222014°E / -74.635399; 164.222014
González Videla	AQ	Summer	Chile	1951	Chilean Air Force	Waterboat Point Graham Land	Active	64°49′26″S 62°51′25″W / 64.823954°S 62.857077°W / -64.823954; -62.857077
Great Wall	AQ GWL	Permanent	China	1985	Polar Research Institute of China	King George Island	Active	62°13′01″S 58°57′43″W / 62.216838°S 58.961855°W / -62.216838; -58.961855
Guillermo Mann	AQ	Summer	Chile	1991	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Cape Shirreff	Active	62°28′12″S 60°46′17″W / 62.469917°S 60.771250°W / -62.469917; -60.771250
Hallett	AQ	Permanent Summer since 1964	United States  New Zealand	1956	International Geophysical Year	Hallett Peninsula	Closed 1973	72°19′00″S 170°16′00″E / 72.316667°S 170.266667°E / -72.316667; 170.266667
Halley	AQ HLY	Permanent Temporary Summer[19]	United Kingdom	1956	British Antarctic Survey[20]	Brunt Ice Shelf	Active	75°36′45″S 26°11′52″W / 75.612543°S 26.197797°W / -75.612543; -26.197797 relocated 23 kilometres (14 mi) inland[21]		-18.5
Jang Bogo	AQ JBS	Permanent	South Korea	2014		Terra Nova Bay	Active	74°37′26″S 164°13′44″E / 74.624015°S 164.228815°E / -74.624015; 164.228815	UTC+11
Jinnah	AQ	Summer	Pakistan	1991	Pakistan Antarctic Programme	Sør Rondane Mountains, Queen Maud Land	Active	70°24′00″S 25°45′00″E / 70.3999984°S 25.749997°E / -70.3999984; 25.749997
Juan Carlos Primero	AQ JCP	Summer	Spain	1988	Spanish National Research Council	South Bay, Livingston Island	Active	62°39′47″S 60°23′17″W / 62.663138°S 60.387992°W / -62.663138; -60.387992	UTC−3
Jubany (renamed Carlini)	AQ JUB	Permanent	Argentina	1953	Instituto Antartico Argentino	King George Island	Active	62°14′18″S 58°40′04″W / 62.238251°S 58.667764°W / -62.238251; -58.667764	UTC−3
Julio Ripamonti	AQ	Summer	Chile	1982	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Ardley Island	Active	62°12′36″S 58°56′08″W / 62.210106°S 58.935508°W / -62.210106; -58.935508	UTC-3
King Baudouin (first station)	AQ	Permanent	Belgium	1957		Princess Ragnhild Coast	Closed 1961 Abandoned	70°25′33″S 24°19′00″E / 70.425833°S 24.316667°E / -70.425833; 24.316667
King Baudouin (second station)	AQ	Permanent	Belgium  Netherlands	1964		Princess Ragnhild Coast	Closed 1967 Abandoned	70°25′33″S 24°19′00″E / 70.425833°S 24.316667°E / -70.425833; 24.316667
King Sejong	AQ KSG	Permanent	South Korea	1988		King George Island	Active	62°13′22″S 58°47′18″W / 62.222803°S 58.788256°W / -62.222803; -58.788256	UTC−3
Kohnen	AQ KHN	Summer	Germany	2001	Alfred Wegener Institute	Queen Maud Land	Active	75°00′07″S 0°04′00″E / 75.001882°S 0.066792°E / -75.001882; 0.066792
Komsomolskaya	AQ	Permanent	Soviet Union	1957	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute	Queen Mary Land	Closed 1962	74°06′S 94°30′E / 74.1°S 94.5°E / -74.1; 94.5		-52
Kunlun	AQ	Summer	China	2009	Polar Research Institute of China	Dome A	Active	80°25′02″S 77°06′59″E / 80.417340°S 77.116449°E / -80.417340; 77.116449
Law	AQ LAW	Summer	Romania	1986	Romanian Polar Research Institute	Larsemann Hills Princess Elizabeth Land	Active	69°22′25″S 76°22′18″E / 69.373573°S 76.371594°E / -69.373573; 76.371594
Lázarev	AQ	Permanent	Soviet Union	1959	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Lazarev Ice Shelf	Closed 1961 Abandoned	69°58′00″S 12°55′00″E / 69.966667°S 12.916667°E / -69.966667; 12.916667
Lenie	AQ	Summer	United States	1985	United States Antarctic Program	Admiralty Bay	Active	62°10′42″S 58°26′46″W / 62.178439°S 58.446158°W / -62.178439; -58.446158
Leningradskaya	AQ	Summer	Russia	1971	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Oates Coast Victoria Land	Closed 1991	69°30′05″S 159°23′31″E / 69.501333°S 159.391840°E / -69.501333; 159.391840		-13
Little America	AQ	Permanent	United States	1929	United States Navy	Ross Ice Shelf	Lost 1987	78°12′S 162°12′W / 78.2°S 162.2°W / -78.2; -162.2		-22
Little Rockford	AQ	Summer	United States	1958	United States Navy	Marie Byrd Land	Closed 1965 Abandoned	79°30′00″S 147°19′00″W / 79.5°S 147.316667°W / -79.5; -147.316667
Machu Picchu	AQ	Summer	Peru	1989	Instituto Antártico Peruano [22]	Admiralty Bay King George Island	Active	62°05′29″S 58°28′12″W / 62.091497°S 58.469905°W / -62.091497; -58.469905
Maitri	AQ MTR	Permanent	India	1989	National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research	Schirmacher Oasis	Active	70°46′00″S 11°43′53″E / 70.766632°S 11.731516°E / -70.766632; 11.731516
Maldonado	AQ	Summer	Ecuador	1990		Greenwich Island	Active	62°26′57″S 59°44′29″W / 62.449056°S 59.741389°W / -62.449056; -59.741389
Marambio	AQ MRB	Permanent	Argentina	1969	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Marambio Island	Active	64°14′28″S 56°37′36″W / 64.241014°S 56.626753°W / -64.241014; -56.626753	UTC−3	-8.1
Matienzo	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1961	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Graham Land	Active	64°58′32″S 60°04′17″W / 64.975659°S 60.071501°W / -64.975659; -60.071501	UTC−3	-11.6
Maudheim	AQ	Permanent	Norway  Sweden  United Kingdom	1949	Norwegian–British–Swedish Antarctic Expedition	Queen Maud Land	Closed 1952	71°03′00″S 10°56′00″W / 71.05°S 10.933333°W / -71.05; -10.933333
Mawson	AQ MAW	Permanent	Australia	1954	Australian Antarctic Division	Mac Robertson Land	Active	67°36′12″S 62°52′27″E / 67.603232°S 62.874170°E / -67.603232; 62.874170	UTC+6	-8.3
McMurdo	AQ MCM	Permanent	United States	1956	United States Antarctic Program	Ross Island	Active	77°50′47″S 166°40′06″E / 77.846323°S 166.668235°E / -77.846323; 166.668235	UTC+12*	-19.7
Melchior	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1947	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Melchior Islands	Active	64°19′32″S 62°58′34″W / 64.325688°S 62.976063°W / -64.325688; -62.976063	UTC−3	-3.6
Mendel	AQ	Summer	Czech Republic	2006	Masaryk University	James Ross Island	Active	63°48′02″S 57°52′56″W / 63.800623°S 57.882178°W / -63.800623; -57.882178
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1958 Meteo	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Drygalski Island	Closed 1960	65°45′S 92°30′E / 65.75°S 92.5°E / -65.75; 92.5
Mirny	AQ MIR	Permanent	Russia	1956	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Davis Sea	Active	66°33′11″S 93°00′35″E / 66.553122°S 93.009724°E / -66.553122; 93.009724		-11.3
Mizuho	AQ	Summer	Japan	1970	National Institute of Polar Research	Mizuho Plateau	Active occasionally transhipment station	70°41′57″S 44°16′45″E / 70.699174°S 44.279057°E / -70.699174; 44.279057		-31
Molodyozhnaya	AQ	Summer	Russia	1962 reopened in 2007	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Thala Hills East Antarctica	Closed 1990 Active Meteorology [23]	67°39′55″S 45°50′18″E / 67.665348°S 45.838400°E / -67.665348; 45.838400		-11.0
	AQ NEU	Permanent	Germany	1981	Alfred Wegener Institute	Princess Martha Coast	Closed 1993	70°39′05″S 8°15′47″W / 70.651509°S 8.263172°W / -70.651509; -8.263172
Neumayer II	AQ NEU	Permanent	Germany	1992	Alfred Wegener Institute	Queen Maud Land	Closed 2009	70°38′16″S 8°15′42″W / 70.637847°S 8.261744°W / -70.637847; -8.261744
Neumayer III	AQ NEU	Permanent	Germany	2009	Alfred Wegener Institute	Atka Bay	Active	70°40′38″S 8°16′18″W / 70.677250°S 8.271600°W / -70.677250; -8.271600	UTC
Norway	AQ	Permanent	Norway	1957	Sixth Norwegian Antarctic Expedition	Fimbul Ice Shelf	Closed 1960 Transferred to South Africa	70°30′S 2°30′W / 70.5°S 2.5°W / -70.5; -2.5
Novolazarevskaya	AQ NOV	Permanent	Russia	1961	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Queen Maud Land	Active	70°46′36″S 11°49′20″E / 70.776762°S 11.822356°E / -70.776762; 11.822356		-10.3
Oasis (renamed Dobrowolski)	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union  Poland	1956 1959	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Bunger Hills	Active	66°16′00″S 100°44′00″E / 66.266667°S 100.733333°E / -66.266667; 100.733333
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1987	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Bunger Hills	Closed 1995	66°16′28″S 100°45′00″E / 66.274514°S 100.749889°E / -66.274514; 100.749889
Orcadas	AQ ORC	Permanent	Argentina	1904	Instituto Antartico Argentino Argentine Navy	Laurie Island South Orkney Islands	Active	60°44′17″S 44°44′17″W / 60.738085°S 44.738130°W / -60.738085; -44.738130	UTC−3	-3.0
Palmer	AQ PLM	Permanent	United States	1968	United States Antarctic Program	Anvers Island	Active	64°46′27″S 64°03′10″W / 64.774230°S 64.052718°W / -64.774230; -64.052718	UTC−3	-2
Petrel	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1952	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Dundee Island	Active	63°28′41″S 56°13′44″W / 63.477947°S 56.228753°W / -63.477947; -56.228753	UTC−3	-6
	AQ	Permanent	Soviet Union	1956	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Queen Mary Land	Closed 1959	69°44′00″S 95°31′00″E / 69.733333°S 95.516667°E / -69.733333; 95.516667		-38
Plateau	AQ	Permanent	United States	1965	United States Navy National Science Foundation	Queen Maud Land	Closed 1969	79°15′03″S 40°33′38″E / 79.25082°S 40.56042°E / -79.25082; 40.56042		-56.7
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1960	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Queen Mary Land	Closed 1960	64°39′S 98°54′E / 64.65°S 98.9°E / -64.65; 98.9
Pole of inaccessibility			Soviet Union	1958		Kemp Land	Closed 1958	82°06′00″S 54°58′00″E / 82.1°S 54.966667°E / -82.1; 54.966667		-58.2
Port Martin	AQ	Permanent	France	1950	French Antarctic Expedition	Cape Margerie	Closed 1952	66°49′06″S 141°24′02″E / 66.818250°S 141.400694°E / -66.818250; 141.400694
Primavera	AQ	Summer	Argentina	1977	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Graham Land	Active	64°09′21″S 60°57′19″W / 64.155766°S 60.955183°W / -64.155766; -60.955183	UTC−3
Princess Elisabeth	AQ	Summer	Belgium	2007	International Polar Foundation Energy passive station.	Queen Maud Land	Reopened 23 November 2017[24]	71°57′00″S 23°20′49″E / 71.949944°S 23.347079°E / -71.949944; 23.347079
Progress	AQ PRO	Permanent	Soviet Union  Russia	1988	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Prydz Bay	Active	69°22′25″S 76°22′18″E / 69.373575°S 76.371678°E / -69.373575; 76.371678		-9.4
Risopatrón	AQ	Summer	Chile	1954	Instituto Antártico Chileno	Robert Island	Active	62°22′42″S 59°42′03″W / 62.378333°S 59.700833°W / -62.378333; -59.700833
Rothera (ex ) [25]	AQ ROT	Permanent	United Kingdom	1975	British Antarctic Survey	Adelaide Island	Active	67°34′06″S 68°07′33″W / 67.568417°S 68.125796°W / -67.568417; -68.125796
Russkaya	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union  Russia	1980 reopened in 2007	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Marie Byrd Land	Closed 1990 Active	74°46′00″S 136°48′10″W / 74.766755°S 136.802882°W / -74.766755; -136.802882	UTC−6 [26]
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1978	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Queen Mary Land	Closed 1978	65°32′00″S 96°30′00″E / 65.533333°S 96.5°E / -65.533333; 96.5
San Martín	AQ SMT	Permanent	Argentina	1951	Instituto Antartico Argentino	Barry Island	Active	68°07′48″S 67°06′05″W / 68.130043°S 67.101311°W / -68.130043; -67.101311	UTC−3	-4.6
SANAE I	AQ SNA	Permanent	South Africa	1960	South African National Antarctic Programme	Fimbul Ice Shelf	Closed 1963 Abandoned	70°18′00″S 2°22′00″W / 70.3°S 2.366667°W / -70.3; -2.366667
SANAE II	AQ SNA	Permanent	South Africa	1971	South African National Antarctic Programme	Fimbul Ice Shelf	Closed 1979 Abandoned	70°18′00″S 2°22′00″W / 70.3°S 2.366667°W / -70.3; -2.366667
SANAE III	AQ SNA	Permanent	South Africa	1979	South African National Antarctic Programme	Fimbul Ice Shelf	Closed 1997 Abandoned	70°18′00″S 2°22′00″W / 70.3°S 2.366667°W / -70.3; -2.366667
SANAE IV	AQ SNA	Permanent	South Africa	1997	South African National Antarctic Programme	Vesleskarvet Queen Maud Land	Active	71°40′22″S 2°50′26″W / 71.672650°S 2.840575°W / -71.672650; -2.840575	UTC+2
Sarie Marais	AQ	Summer	South Africa	1982	South African National Antarctic Programme	Ahlmann Ridge	Closed 1999 Dismantled 2001 Geology Biology	72°01′35″S 2°48′18″W / 72.026389°S 2.805°W / -72.026389; -2.805
Scott Base	AQ SBA	Permanent	New Zealand	1957	Antarctica New Zealand	Ross Island	Active	77°50′57″S 166°46′06″E / 77.849132°S 166.768196°E / -77.849132; 166.768196	UTC+12	-19.6
Shirreff	AQ	Summer	United States	1996	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	Cape Shirreff	Active	62°28′13″S 60°46′16″W / 62.470271°S 60.770998°W / -62.470271; -60.770998
Signy (ex Station H) [27]	AQ SGN	Permanent 1947-1995 Summer since 1996	United Kingdom	1947	British Antarctic Survey	Signy Island South Orkney Islands	Active	60°42′29″S 45°35′42″W / 60.708137°S 45.594888°W / -60.708137; -45.594888		-3
	AQ	Summer	United States	1957		Law Dome	Closed 1966 Abandoned Glaciology	66°30′07″S 113°12′09″E / 66.501944°S 113.2025°E / -66.501944; 113.2025
Syowa	AQ SYW	Permanent	Japan	1957	National Institute of Polar Research	East Ongul Island	Active	69°00′16″S 39°34′54″E / 69.004448°S 39.581713°E / -69.004448; 39.581713	UTC+3	-10.5
Siple	AQ	Summer	United States	1973	Stanford University's STAR Lab	Ellsworth Land	Closed 1988	75°55′00″S 83°55′00″W / 75.916667°S 83.916667°W / -75.916667; -83.916667
Sobral	AQ	Permanent	Argentina	1965	Instituto Antártico Argentino	Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf	Closed 1968	81°04′45″S 40°31′12″W / 81.07917°S 40.52000°W / -81.07917; -40.52000
	AQ	Summer	Soviet Union	1971	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Amery Ice Shelf	Closed 1974	69°43′00″S 73°44′00″E / 69.716667°S 73.733333°E / -69.716667; 73.733333
South Ice	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1957	Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition	Edith Ronne Land	Closed 1958 Abandoned	82°05′00″S 30°00′00″W / 82.083333°S 30.0°W / -82.083333; -30.0
Sovetskaya	AQ	Permanent	Soviet Union	1958	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute	Kaiser Wilhelm II Land	Closed 1959 Abandoned	77°58′00″S 89°16′00″E / 77.966667°S 89.266667°E / -77.966667; 89.266667
Soyuz	AQ	Permanent	Soviet Union	1982	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Prince Charles Mountains	Closed 1989	70°34′36″S 68°47′30″E / 70.576667°S 68.791667°E / -70.576667; 68.791667	UTC+5
St. Kliment Ohridski	AQ	Summer	Bulgaria	1988	Bulgarian Antarctic Institute	Emona Anchorage Livingston Island	Active	62°38′29″S 60°21′53″W / 62.641389°S 60.364722°W / -62.641389; -60.364722	UTC−3
Station A[28]	AQ	Summer	United Kingdom	1944	United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust	Goudier Island	Active	64°49′31″S 63°29′37″W / 64.825276°S 63.493688°W / -64.825276; -63.493688
Station B[29]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1944	Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition	Deception Island	Closed 1969	62°58′38″S 60°33′50″W / 62.977231°S 60.563809°W / -62.977231; -60.563809
Station C[30]	AQ	Summer	United Kingdom	1946	British Antarctic Survey	Cape Geddes	Closed 1947 Abandoned	60°41′16″S 44°34′24″W / 60.687642°S 44.573196°W / -60.687642; -44.573196
Station D[31]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1945	British Antarctic Survey	Hope Bay	Closed 1964	63°24′09″S 56°59′27″W / 63.402478°S 56.990707°W / -63.402478; -56.990707
Station E[32]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1946	British Antarctic Survey	Stonington Island	Closed 1975	68°11′08″S 66°59′41″W / 68.185678°S 66.994815°W / -68.185678; -66.994815
Station F (renamed Faraday)[33]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1947	British Antarctic Survey	Galindez Island	Closed 1996	65°14′45″S 64°15′28″W / 65.245791°S 64.257786°W / -65.245791; -64.257786		-3.3
Station G[34]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1947	British Antarctic Survey	Admiralty Bay	Closed 1961	62°05′14″S 58°23′39″W / 62.087217°S 58.394049°W / -62.087217; -58.394049
Station J[35]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1957	British Antarctic Survey	Prospect Point	Closed 1959 Removed 2004	65°59′55″S 65°19′06″W / 65.998516°S 65.318273°W / -65.998516; -65.318273
Station N[36]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1955	British Antarctic Survey	Anvers Island	Closed 1958 Demolished 1991	64°45′36″S 64°04′48″W / 64.760032°S 64.079991°W / -64.760032; -64.079991
Station O[37]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1956	British Antarctic Survey	Danco Island	Closed 1959 Demolished 2004	64°44′00″S 62°36′00″W / 64.733333°S 62.600000°W / -64.733333; -62.600000
Station P[38]	AQ	Summer	United Kingdom	1957	British Antarctic Survey	Mateev Cove	Closed 1958	62°38′58″S 60°35′25″W / 62.649306°S 60.590278°W / -62.649306; -60.590278
Station T[39]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1961	British Antarctic Survey	Adelaide Island	Closed 1977	67°45′40″S 68°54′52″W / 67.761201°S 68.914365°W / -67.761201; -68.914365
Station V[40]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1953	British Antarctic Survey	View Point	Closed 1963	63°33′16″S 57°22′42″W / 63.554392°S 57.378279°W / -63.554392; -57.378279
Station W[41]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1956	British Antarctic Survey	Detaille Island	Closed 1959	66°52′01″S 66°47′53″W / 66.867006°S 66.797971°W / -66.867006; -66.797971
Station Y[42]	AQ	Permanent	United Kingdom	1955 reopened 1969	British Antarctic Survey	Horseshoe Island	Closed 1960 1969	67°48′30″S 67°17′39″W / 67.808285°S 67.294266°W / -67.808285; -67.294266
Svea	AQ	Summer	Sweden	1988	Swedish Polar Research Secretariat	Queen Maud Land	Active	74°35′00″S 11°13′00″W / 74.583333°S 11.216667°W / -74.583333; -11.216667
Taishan[43]	AQ	Summer	China	2014	Polar Research Institute of China	Princess Elizabeth Land	Active	73°51′50″S 76°58′29″E / 73.863883°S 76.974717°E / -73.863883; 76.974717
Tor	AQ TOR	Summer	Norway	1993	Norwegian Polar Institute	Queen Maud Land	Active	71°53′22″S 5°09′34″E / 71.889477°S 5.159545°E / -71.889477; 5.159545
Troll	AQ TRL	Permanent	Norway	1990	Norwegian Polar Institute	Queen Maud Land	Active	72°00′42″S 2°32′06″E / 72.011662°S 2.535138°E / -72.011662; 2.535138
Union Glacier	AQ	Summer	Chile	2014	Chilean Army Chilean Navy Chilean Air Force Instituto Antártico Chileno	Union Glacier	Active	79°46′10″S 82°54′26″W / 79.76944°S 82.90722°W / -79.76944; -82.90722 (Joint Scientific Polar Station "Union Glacier" (Chile))
Vanda	AQ	Permanent until 1974 Summer since 1976	New Zealand	1969	Antarctica New Zealand	Victoria Land	Active	77°31′00″S 161°40′00″E / 77.516667°S 161.666667°E / -77.516667; 161.666667		-19.7
[44]	AQ	Summer	Belarus	2007	National Academy of Sciences of Belarus	Mount Vechernyaya, Thala Hills	Active	67°39′33″S 46°09′29″E / 67.659123°S 46.158125°E / -67.659123; 46.158125
Vernadsky (ex Station F)	AQ VKY	Permanent	Ukraine  United Kingdom	1994	National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine	Galindez Island	Active	65°14′45″S 64°15′28″W / 65.245791°S 64.257786°W / -65.245791; -64.257786	UTC−3	-3.3
Vostok	AQ VOS	Permanent	Soviet Union  Russia	1957	Russian Antarctic Expedition	Antarctic Ice Sheet	Active	78°27′50″S 106°50′15″E / 78.463889°S 106.83757°E / -78.463889; 106.83757	UTC+6	-55.2
	AQ VOS	Permanent	Soviet Union	1957	Russian Academy of Sciences	East Antarctica	Closed 1957 Abandoned	72°08′00″S 96°35′00″E / 72.133333°S 96.583333°E / -72.133333; 96.583333
Wasa	AQ WSA	Summer	Sweden	1989	Swedish Polar Research Secretariat	Queen Maud Land	Active	73°02′24″S 13°23′55″W / 73.039901°S 13.398584°W / -73.039901; -13.398584
	AQ	Summer	Russia  United States	1992	Russian Antarctic Expedition National Science Foundation	Weddell Sea	Closed 1992	71°48′00″S 51°43′00″W / 71.8°S 51.716667°W / -71.8; -51.716667
World Park	AQ	Permanent		1987	Greenpeace	Cape Evans	Dismantled 1992	77°38′20″S 166°24′50″E / 77.6389°S 166.4139°E / -77.6389; 166.4139
Yelcho	AQ	Summer	Chile	1962 reopened 2015	Instituto Antártico Chileno	South Bay Doumer Island	Active	64°52′33″S 63°35′01″W / 64.87591°S 63.583721°W / -64.87591; -63.583721
Zhongshan	AQ ZGN	Permanent	China	1989	Polar Research Institute of China	Larsemann Hills Prydz Bay	Active	69°22′25″S 76°22′18″E / 69.373587°S 76.371652°E / -69.373587; 76.371652
Zucchelli	AQ MZU	Summer[45]	Italy	1986	National Antarctic Research Program ENEA CNR	Terra Nova Bay	Active	74°41′39″S 164°06′50″E / 74.694206°S 164.113869°E / -74.694206; 164.113869	UTC+12* [46]

* Observes daylight saving time.

List of Subantarctic research stations[]

Station name	LOCODE	Type	Country	Year Est.	Administered by	Location	Status & Activities	Coordinates	Time zone
Alfred Faure	TF	Permanent	France	1963		Île de la Possession	Active Meteorology Seismology Biology	46°25′56″S 51°51′30″E / 46.432333°S 51.858217°E / -46.432333; 51.858217
Bird (ex )[47]	GS	Permanent	United Kingdom	1957	British Antarctic Survey	Bird Island	Active Bird and seal research	54°00′30″S 38°03′04″W / 54.008329°S 38.051132°W / -54.008329; -38.051132
Campbell	NZ	Permanent	New Zealand	1946	MetService	Campbell Island	Active Meteorology	52°33′04″S 169°09′04″E / 52.550973°S 169.150981°E / -52.550973; 169.150981
Gough	SH TDC	Permanent	South Africa	1956	South African Weather Service	Gough Island	Active Meteorology	40°20′58″S 9°52′49″W / 40.349307°S 9.880331°W / -40.349307; -9.880331
King Edward Point (ex )[48]	GS	Permanent	United Kingdom	1950	British Antarctic Survey	King Edward Point	Active Support sustainable fishing	54°17′00″S 36°29′36″W / 54.283335°S 36.493196°W / -54.283335; -36.493196
Macquarie	AUS	Permanent	Australia	1948	Australian Antarctic Division	Macquarie Island	Active Meteorology Biology	54°18′S 158°34′E / 54.30°S 158.57°E / -54.30; 158.57
Marion	ZA	Permanent	South Africa	1948	South African National Antarctic Programme	Prince Edward Islands	Active Meteorology Biology	46°52′32″S 37°51′31″E / 46.875460°S 37.858540°E / -46.875460; 37.858540
Port-aux-Français	TF PFR	Permanent	France	1963		Kerguelen Islands	Active Meteorology Geophysics Biology	49°20′55″S 70°13′10″E / 49.348667°S 70.219306°E / -49.348667; 70.219306

* Observes daylight saving time.

Map[]

This map shows permanent research stations only.

Amundsen–Scott South Pole

Asuka

Bharati
Zhongshan

Casey

Concordia

Davis
Dakshin Gangotri

Dumont d'Urville

Arctowski
Artigas
Bellingshausen
Ferraz
Frei
Escudero
Great Wall
Carlini
King Sejong

Belgrano II

Esperanza

O'Higgins
Marambio

Halley

Jang Bogo

Maitri
Novolazarevskaya

Mawson

McMurdo
Scott

Mirny

Neumayer III

Orcadas

Palmer

Rothera

San Martín

SANAE IV

Syowa

Troll

Vernadsky

Vostok

Locations of permanent research station in Antarctica

See also[]

• Antarctic field camps
• Demographics of Antarctica
• Territorial claims in Antarctica
• List of research stations in the Arctic (for analogous stations in the Arctic)
• List of Antarctic expeditions
• Transport in Antarctica
• Winter-over syndrome
• Human outpost

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scientific stations in Antarctica.

• Research stations
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities (Updated February 2014 - Excel File)
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map (Archived September 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine)
• Antarctic Exploration Timeline, animated map of Antarctic exploration and settlement, showing where and when Antarctic research stations were established
• Antarctic Digital Database Map Viewer SCAR