Antarctica is about 1.5 times larger than the United States.
Antarctica covers about 5.4 million square miles (14 million sq km).
It’s also larger in area than either Europe or Australia.
Many countries have claimed parts of Antarctica, but the nations of the world disagree about some of these claims.
For example, as this map shows, Great Britain, Argentina, and Chile all claim part of the same territory, as do Australia and New Zealand.
The Antarctic Treaty signed in 1959 by forty six countries prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research, and protects the continent’s ecosystem.
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