Shackleton Range
In the 1980s, Argentina sent several pregnant women to Antarctica so that their babies would be born there and reinforce the country’s claim to the territory.
Many countries around the world automatically grant citizenship to anyone born within their borders. But Antarctica, the most remote and inhospitable continent on Earth, is completely outside this system. With no permanent population and no sovereign government, what happens if someone is born there?
Antarctica’s unusual status derives from its history. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, global powers sought influence over the ice-covered continent despite its inhospitable climate. After World War II, concerns grew that competing territorial claims could lead to conflicts. This led to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, which froze all existing claims, banned new ones, and designated the continent as a zone reserved exclusively for peaceful scientific research.
Although no country can officially own Antarctic territory, several nations, including Argentina, Chile, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Norway, maintain formal claims. Argentina, in particular, considers its proximity to Antarctica as a factor that reinforces its position.
In the late 1970s, during the Argentine military dictatorship of General Jorge Rafael Videla, the government took an unusual step to reinforce its symbolic presence on the continent. In 1977, Silvia Morello de Palma, who was pregnant, was taken by plane to Esperanza Basein Antarctica. On January 7, 1978, she gave birth to Emilio Marcos Palma, the first known person to be born on the continent.
Emilio’s birth was not an isolated case. In the following years, 10 more babies were born in Antarcticaall children of Argentine or Chilean parents on research bases. These births were intended to demonstrate a continuous human presence through family life, and not just through temporary scientific missions, says the .
Despite their symbolic value, births had little legal impact. According to international law, being born in Antarctica does not guarantee citizenship or nationality. Instead, children automatically inherited their parents’ citizenship, just as they would if they were born at sea or in other unclaimed territory.
The practice of sending pregnant women to bases in Antarctica ended in 1985. The logistical risks and limited political benefit did not convince the international community or change the legal status of the continent under the Antarctic Treaty.
Still, this brief chapter in polar history gave Antarctica an unusual global distinction. All 11 babies born on the continent survived infancy, giving Antarctica a child survival registry technically perfect. While no one can legally claim to be “Antarctic,” these rare births serve as a stunning reminder of how far nations have come to assert their presence in the world’s southern tip.
