Antarctica: how geopolitics plays out at the end of the Earth

The Ceremonial South Pole, surrounded by the flags of the member countries of the Antarctic Treaty. © Photo: Business Wire

Antarctica is Earth's only uninhabited continent, home to the South Pole, and subject to a delicate balance of cooperation between key players. So what is at stake in the world's southernmost region?

Ordinarily, little disturbs the peace of the white continent – inhabited only temporarily, by the scientists and support staff who come and go to work at its various research stations.