The World’s Southernmost Continent in International Law: an Exclusive Legal Regime?

Abstract The first circle regulating the regime of the world’s southernmost continent was adopted in 1959, namely the Antarctic Treaty . Following its adoption, several international instruments were accepted for the governance of the Antarctic and thereby, a comprehensive legal regime was created for the continent. This regime created on the basis of the Antarctic Treaty is called the Antarctic Treaty System and has very unique characteristics. Even that is the case, the legal regime of Antarctica cannot be examined in isolation from the other spatial regimes of international law.