Emilio Palma
Encyclopedia
Emilio Marcos Palma is an Argentine
national who is the first person known to be born on the continent of Antarctica. Emilio weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces (3.4 kg) when born in Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base
near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula
. His father, Captain Jorge Emilio Palma, was head of the Argentine army detachment at the base. While ten other people have since been born on Antarctica, Palma's birthplace remains the most southerly of anyone in history.
As part of a sovereignty dispute over Argentine Antarctica
, Argentina airlifted in Emilio's mother, Sílvia Morella de Palma, then seven months pregnant. He was automatically granted Argentine citizenship by the government since his parents were both Argentine
citizens, and he was born in the claimed Argentine Antarctica
.
Additionally, as the base also falls within the claimed British Antarctic Territory
, and he was born before 1983, when British nationality
by birth could no longer be automatically acquired, he could also claim British nationality.
He is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person in history known to be born on the continent. However, Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen of Norway
, born in the island territory of South Georgia in 1913, is sometimes claimed as the actual first Antarctica birth as that territory being considered part of Antarctica for some purposes.
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...
national who is the first person known to be born on the continent of Antarctica. Emilio weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces (3.4 kg) when born in Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base
Esperanza Base
-References:*Antarctica. Sydney: Reader's Digest, 1985, p. 156-157.*Child, Jack. Antarctica and South American Geopolitics: Frozen Lebensraum. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1988, p. 73....
near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
. His father, Captain Jorge Emilio Palma, was head of the Argentine army detachment at the base. While ten other people have since been born on Antarctica, Palma's birthplace remains the most southerly of anyone in history.
As part of a sovereignty dispute over Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
, Argentina airlifted in Emilio's mother, Sílvia Morella de Palma, then seven months pregnant. He was automatically granted Argentine citizenship by the government since his parents were both 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...
citizens, and he was born in the claimed Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
.
Additionally, as the base also falls within the claimed British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
, and he was born before 1983, when British nationality
British nationality law
British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom that concerns citizenship and other categories of British nationality. The law is complex because of the United Kingdom's former status as an imperial power.-History:...
by birth could no longer be automatically acquired, he could also claim British nationality.
He is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person in history known to be born on the continent. However, Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, born in the island territory of South Georgia in 1913, is sometimes claimed as the actual first Antarctica birth as that territory being considered part of Antarctica for some purposes.