Brazilian Antarctica
Encyclopedia
Brazilian Antarctica (Portuguese
: Antártida Brasileira or Antártica Brasileira) is the name of the Antarctic
territory south of 60°S
, and from 28°W
to 53°W
, proposed as 'Zone of Interest' by geopolitical scholar Therezinha de Castro. While the substance of that designation has never been precisely defined, it does not formally contradict the Argentine
and British
claims geographically overlapping with that zone. The country formally expressed its reservations with respect to its territorial rights in Antarctica when it acceded to the Antarctic Treaty on 16 May 1975, making the first official mention of the Frontage Theory. The Frontage Theory (Teoria da Defrontação) was proposed by Brazilian geopolitical scholar Therezinha de Castro and published in her book Antártica: Teoria da Defrontação.
Outside the zone of interest, Brazil maintains a permanent staffed research facility, the Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base
(UN/LOCODE
: AQ-CFZ), located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at 62°08′S 58°40′W.
In 1982 the Brazilian government launched their first Antarctic expedition, and a year later built their first base (named Comandante Ferraz
, for a deceased naval officer active in Antarctica), which has been active year-round since then. Despite their status as newcomers, Brazilian geopolitical writers have had considerable influence on the nation’s Antarctic policies (especially during the period of military dictatorship under a series of unelected general/presidents from 1964 to 1985
), although there is not a national Brazilian Antarctic consciousness similar to that of Argentina
or Chile
.
In February 1991, President
Fernando Collor de Mello
reaffirmed Brazil's interest in the region by visiting the Brazilian Antarctic base, where he spent three days. He was the first Brazilian president to set foot in the Antarctic.
In January 2008, 13 congressmen members of the Brazilian Antarctica Parliamentary Committee visited the Brazilian Antarctic base. Another visit by the members of Congress took place in January 2009.
On February 16, 2008, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
and a delegation of twenty-three people, including the First Lady Marisa Letícia, visited country's base in Antarctica. The Brazilian Government defined the presidential trip as a "political gesture" in support of the work displayed by Brazilian scientists and military personnel.
In 2009 Brazil made its first national scientific expedition to the Antarctic ice sheet
. The expedition integrated atmospheric
, glaciological
, geological
and geophysical
studies along the Patriot Hills
area and also along the subglacial lake
Ellsworth area. A second expedition is scheduled for early November 2011, when researchers will install a monitoring station (advanced outpost) 310 miles from the Geographic South Pole
and 1,600 mi from the Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base (EACF).
The administration of Brazil's Antarctic policy and interests are shared by various government organizations. Several Federal universities and institutes also participate in the Antarctic research program. As is the case with Argentina and Chile, the military (especially the Air Force
and the Navy
) play a major role in Brazil's Antarctic program.
. This committee is responsible for promoting the liaison between the Brazilian Antarctic Programme and international Antarctic research, co-ordinated by SCAR, and of following the activities and achievements of the research undertaken by other national Antarctic programmes. CONAPA is also an advisory body to other Brazilian organisms of the Brazilian Antarctic System, concerning scientific Antarctic politics. The committee is under the administration of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil.
in charge of the formulation and implementation of the National Policy for Antarctic Affairs (Política Nacional para Assuntos Antárticos - POLANTAR). The commission is directly linked to the Ministry of External Relations and the Presidency
.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
: Antártida Brasileira or Antártica Brasileira) is the name of the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
territory south of 60°S
60th parallel south
The 60th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 60 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. No land lies on the parallel—it crosses nothing but ocean...
, and from 28°W
28th meridian west
The meridian 28° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
to 53°W
53rd meridian west
The meridian 53° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Newfoundland, the Atlantic Ocean, South America, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
, proposed as 'Zone of Interest' by geopolitical scholar Therezinha de Castro. While the substance of that designation has never been precisely defined, it does not formally contradict the Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
claims geographically overlapping with that zone. The country formally expressed its reservations with respect to its territorial rights in Antarctica when it acceded to the Antarctic Treaty on 16 May 1975, making the first official mention of the Frontage Theory. The Frontage Theory (Teoria da Defrontação) was proposed by Brazilian geopolitical scholar Therezinha de Castro and published in her book Antártica: Teoria da Defrontação.
Outside the zone of interest, Brazil maintains a permanent staffed research facility, the Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base
Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base
The Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base is a Brazilian research station located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula....
(UN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE
UN/LOCODE, the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, is a geographic coding scheme developed and maintained by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe , a unit of the United Nations. UN/LOCODE assigns codes to locations used in trade and transport with functions such as...
: AQ-CFZ), located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at 62°08′S 58°40′W.
History
Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base
The Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base is a Brazilian research station located in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula....
, for a deceased naval officer active in Antarctica), which has been active year-round since then. Despite their status as newcomers, Brazilian geopolitical writers have had considerable influence on the nation’s Antarctic policies (especially during the period of military dictatorship under a series of unelected general/presidents from 1964 to 1985
History of Brazil (1964-1985)
The Brazilian military government was the authoritarian regime which ruled Brazil from March 31, 1964 to March 15, 1985. It began with the 1964 coup d'état led by the Armed Forces against the democratically elected government of left-wing President João Goulart and ended when José Sarney took...
), although there is not a national Brazilian Antarctic consciousness similar to that of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
or Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
In February 1991, President
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Collor de Mello
Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello was the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his trial of impeachment by the Brazilian Senate...
reaffirmed Brazil's interest in the region by visiting the Brazilian Antarctic base, where he spent three days. He was the first Brazilian president to set foot in the Antarctic.
In January 2008, 13 congressmen members of the Brazilian Antarctica Parliamentary Committee visited the Brazilian Antarctic base. Another visit by the members of Congress took place in January 2009.
On February 16, 2008, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
and a delegation of twenty-three people, including the First Lady Marisa Letícia, visited country's base in Antarctica. The Brazilian Government defined the presidential trip as a "political gesture" in support of the work displayed by Brazilian scientists and military personnel.
In 2009 Brazil made its first national scientific expedition to the Antarctic ice sheet
Antarctic ice sheet
The Antarctic ice sheet is one of the two polar ice caps of the Earth. It covers about 98% of the Antarctic continent and is the largest single mass of ice on Earth. It covers an area of almost 14 million square km and contains 30 million cubic km of ice...
. The expedition integrated atmospheric
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
, glaciological
Glaciology
Glaciology Glaciology Glaciology (from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal): glace, "ice"; or Latin: glacies, "frost, ice"; and Greek: λόγος, logos, "speech" lit...
, geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and geophysical
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
studies along the Patriot Hills
Patriot Hills
Patriot Hills was the only private seasonally occupied camp in Antarctica. It was located in the Heritage Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, next to a group of hills that gives it its name...
area and also along the subglacial lake
Subglacial lake
A subglacial lake is a lake under a glacier, typically an ice cap or ice sheet. There are many such lakes, with Lake Vostok in Antarctica being by far the largest known at present.-Characteristics:...
Ellsworth area. A second expedition is scheduled for early November 2011, when researchers will install a monitoring station (advanced outpost) 310 miles from the Geographic South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
and 1,600 mi from the Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base (EACF).
Administration
Brazilian Air Force
The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
and the Navy
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
) play a major role in Brazil's Antarctic program.
Inter-Ministry Commission for Sea Resources (CIRM)
National agency responsible for the elaboration and implementation of the Brazilian Antarctic Programme, Programa Antártico Brasileiro (PROANTAR), and for maintaining the all-year station Comandante Ferraz. The commission is under the direct command of the Brazilian Navy.Brazilian National Committee on Antarctic Research (CONAPA)
National Member of SCARScar
Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound results in...
. This committee is responsible for promoting the liaison between the Brazilian Antarctic Programme and international Antarctic research, co-ordinated by SCAR, and of following the activities and achievements of the research undertaken by other national Antarctic programmes. CONAPA is also an advisory body to other Brazilian organisms of the Brazilian Antarctic System, concerning scientific Antarctic politics. The committee is under the administration of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil.
National Commission on Antarctic Matters (CONANTAR)
National advisory board to the President of BrazilPresident of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
in charge of the formulation and implementation of the National Policy for Antarctic Affairs (Política Nacional para Assuntos Antárticos - POLANTAR). The commission is directly linked to the Ministry of External Relations and the Presidency
Palácio do Planalto
The Palácio do Planalto is the official workplace of the President of Brazil. It is located at the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília, Brazil. As the seat of government, the term Planalto is often used as a metonym for the executive branch of the government.The main working office of the President...
.
Parliamentary Front in Support of the Brazilian Antarctic Programme
Permanent joint congressional committee responsible for overseeing Brazil's Antarctic Programme and interests, including funding, and on-going operations. The committee has 175 members (54 Senators and 121 Deputies) and is chaired by a President.External links
- Brazilian Antarctica Parliamentary Committee Official website
- Official website of the Brazilian Antarctic Programme
- Brazilian Navy's Antarctic Programme website
- National Meteorolgy Center at the Com. Ferraz Antarctic Station - Live webcams and weather data from the Brazilian Antarctic Base.
- Website of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment's Antarctic Project