UK to name part of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land

Part of Antarctica is to be renamed Queen Elizabeth Land

www.bbc.co.uk

Part of Antarctica is to be renamed Queen Elizabeth Land in honour of the Queen, it was announced as she made an historic visit to Downing Street.

(visit the link for the full news article)

After leaving Downing Street the Queen went with Foreign Secretary William Hague to the Foreign Office, where it was announced that the southern part of the British Antarctic Territory had been named.

After leaving Downing Street she went with Foreign Secretary William Hague to the Foreign Office, where it was announced that the southern part of the British Antarctic Territory had been named.

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Did you see them


That doesnt sound great.

Sounds like an Amusement Park or something.

reply to post by spangledbanner


In fairness though, not one that will get many visitors.

Not so far from South America to that part of Antarctica. Maybe the "The Royal States of Los Malvinas" would have been a better name?

Since when was Antarctica British territory? I would love to see another country take it over, like North Korea & name Il Kim Jong land & wait for the uproar.

If a country is named after you, does that give you all rights to the natural resources on that land? Hmmm, interesting.

reply to post by thepupils


Since it was divided up along with the Australian, Chilean, French etc claims.

I believe the US also has a claim. It is back to the old international game of "my flag is bigger than your flag".

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by spangledbanner

 

In fairness though, not one that will get many visitors.

Not so far from South America to that part of Antarctica. Maybe the "The Royal States of Los Malvinas" would have been a better name?

I wish Alexander the Great had named all those Alexandria's 'Alexander Land' instead. That woukld be cool.

reply to post by thepupils


Actually, i have had a re think.

It is British territory now as it has its own website.

British Antarctic Territory

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by thepupils

 

Since it was divided up along with the Australian, Chilean, French etc claims.

I believe the US also has a claim. It is back to the old international game of "my flag is bigger than your flag".

What about Germany? They occupied parts during WW2, did they just give it up? I think it's funny that an empire (Britain) can claim the chunk of ice, but heaven forbid a communist country would even dare to do so. Imagine the uproar if China took claim of just part of it. The queen would cry invasion of her manifest destiny. Which brings me back to the resource question: if named after a country, do you own rights to the natural resources?

Originally posted by thepupils
. Which brings me back to the resource question: if named after a country, do you own rights to the natural resources?

I'd like that rule applied to cities too, then the UK would own most of the US still.

reply to post by thepupils


It was divvied up post World War 2. Sorry to China but there it is. International agreements, etc.

In theory though, yes. Any minerals there are the property of the UK (only if in the British bit, any in the Chilean section belong to Chile and so on). However, it is a moot point at present as we have no way of properly extracting any minerals on a commercial scale down in that environment.

In point of fact though, i am not actually sure who got the Nazi bit. Probably France.

This a weird and perhaps unfounded pet peeve... Shouldn't it be A historic, not an historic? At least in the country that knows how to English? Do we say AN history lesson? Do we say AN hemophiliac? No. People think it's OK because they say an istoric. EVEN if that were the correct pronunciation saying 'an' would be wrong.

Someone bring me an cup of noodles.

reply to post by khimbar


I don't know why this Britain claiming rights to Antarctica got me pi$$ed off, it's hilarious that it does. "Who gives the old inbred hag the right? So if I go down there & start clubbing baby seals or whaling, will Britain punish me or does PETA do the enforcement of her majesty's wishes? Why can't Antarctica go back to its own sovereign nation?

Now I gotta tell my grand kids "I remember when Antarctica wasn't owned by the British" it makes me feel old just thinking about it!

Originally posted by Domo1
At least in the country that knows how to English?

For no reason at all, that made me think of a dance called 'The English' and what it might go like.

Originally posted by khimbar

Originally posted by Domo1
At least in the country that knows how to English?

For no reason at all, that made me think of a dance called 'The English' and what it might go like.

The dance would be something like: stand with saucer in one hand, tea cup in other w/ pinky of cup hand erected at a 45 degree angle. Now stick your nose up in the air in the most pompous manner & bum a fag then curtsy.

reply to post by Did you see them


A very suitable and appropriate name.

Both are cold, desolate, mysterious, steeped in intrigue and conspiracy and far removed from the rest of the world.

reply to post by thepupils


You would have to be in your seventies to remember then.

The US claims part of the Arctic. Where do you stand on that?

Originally posted by thepupils

Originally posted by khimbar

Originally posted by Domo1
At least in the country that knows how to English?

For no reason at all, that made me think of a dance called 'The English' and what it might go like.

The dance would be something like: stand with saucer in one hand, tea cup in other w/ pinky of cup hand erected at a 45 degree angle. Now stick your nose up in the air in the most pompous manner & bum a fag then curtsy.

I'd be very careful saying 'bum a fag' in front of Colonials.

The dividing up of Antarctica is evidently pre-1914, because there is a territory called Kaiser Wilhelm II land.
It was cut up into wedges stretching from the South Pole to the coast.
I think in principle they were being claimed by nations with territories or colonies close to the relevant coast;
viz- Britain, Norway, Australia, New Zealand ,France, Argentina, Chile. and Imperial Germany

My old atlas reads, clockwise from the Weddell sea;
Coats land
Princess Martha land
Princess Astrid land
Princess Ragnild land
Prince Harald land
Queen Maud land
Prince Olav land
Enderby land
Kemp land
MacRobertson land
Princess Elizabeth land (that probably means the present Queen. so she may be getting in twice)
Kaiser Wilhelm II land
Queen Mary land
Wilkes land
Adelie land
King George V land
King Edward VII land
Byrd land

reply to post by DISRAELI


It was re-divided post World War 2.

You are correct though in that it had already been divided by that point.