ABSTRACT
The Antarctic Treaty, which was adopted in 1959 and entered into force in 1961, is a remarkable treaty with a geopolitical history. In remote areas of the world, including the Arctic and Antarctic, lines of latitude have been instrumental in the demarcation of territorial space. The framing of Antarctica as a 'continent by and for science' was being openly challenged by newer parties to the Antarctic Treaty System and outsiders as self-interested rhetoric designed to entrench the power of the original signatories. The terms and conditions of the Antarctic Treaty 'containerized' the Southern Ocean and polar continent, conveying inadvertently that the region itself was isolated and capable of being isolated repeatedly from the interactions of other parties, interests and flows. When connected to the International Geophysical Year of 1957–1958, including its Antarctic programme, the securing of the Antarctic Treaty nourishes the mythologies of polar science and governance as products of co-operation and goodwill.
