00:00Have you ever wondered why the whole continent, Antarctica, does not belong to any country?
00:05It's the southernmost continent, and it's literally nobody's. It's a huge area, almost as big as two
00:11Australias, bigger than the US, China, or Canada. Moreover, its size changes depending on the season.
00:17In winter, when the ice builds up, Antarctica becomes bigger than Russia, and in summer,
00:22it shrinks again. The thing is that Antarctica was discovered just over 200 years ago and
00:27immediately attracted the attention of many countries. France, Norway, and the United
00:31Kingdom were the first to claim it. Then, Britain transferred part of the territory to Australia
00:36and New Zealand. Later, Chile and Argentina also declared their rights. And this part of the land
00:41is known as Marie Birdland, the most inaccessible and largest unclaimed territory on Earth.
00:46During the height of the Cold War, to avoid the risk of nuclear testing in this territory,
00:51countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, which paused all territorial claims and made Antarctica a neutral
00:57zone designated only for scientific research.
