Why don't more people live permanently in Anartica?

Answer 1

Well, the weather is certainly a determining factor. It's sort of tough to live in any place where you know if you walk out on the front porch in your bathrobe to retrieve the morning paper, you'll freeze to death before you're able to bend over and pick it up.

There's another important reason for it, though. The various countries of the world got together after the Antarctic continent was discovered and agreed that it should belong to no country-- which is much easier to agree upon when the land is a vast sheet of inhospitable ice and not lush and verdant; then it's easier to slaughter the less developed natives and claim God left you this great uninhabited land as your reward for being a peaceful and righteous people-- and that it really shouldn't be settled except to do scientific research. Some countries claim land in the continent belongs to them, but their claims aren't internationally recognized and those countries do nothing with the land they claim, due to the limitations of the Antarctic Treaty which governs its preservation for scientific study alone.

So, beyond the weather, it's also off limits to set up permanent settlements there, or develop the continent's resources, in the same way a public park is off limits to someone who wants to build a house.

You can go, you can look around, you can take a scenic stroll and explore the place all you want, but at the end of the day, please go home.

As a result, when you're in Antarctica, it's the McMurdo research station or bust.

Answer 2

There are several reasons.

First are the practical ones. Antarctica is a harsh environment, which doesn't support human life particularly well. There is no indigenous human population. It has seen a number of visitors from other continents, however, most there for research. It has little capacity to produce food or other items needed by humans, so it doesn't support human settlement particularly well.

Humans also require heat and some ability to adapt the environment to our preferred habitat. While there are likely to be large deposits of coal and oil in Antarctica, this would not be an easy place to get at them.

The other main reason is political. Antarctica is governed by international agreements which tend to discourage permanent settlements. I suspect there are some people who like the place and have stayed there for a long enough time to be considered semi-permanent settlers, but they would have citizenship somewhere else.

Answer 3

Scientists have lived in Anartica year-around but barely anyone lives there for very many years at a time.

Answer 4

I have a friend who spent some time in McMurdo station Antarctica. She was their to do research on microbes living in Antarctica. Based on her stories of the place, it sounds like it could be a lot of fun if you are the extremely rugged type.

There are no resources there. There is no food, no energy resources, or anything that would allow for a place to sustain itself. Everything has to be imported. That is very expensive and sometimes because of weather it isn't safe for even ice breaking vessels to make the trip.

Answer 5

As all big Ships like Titanic and Posiedon love to crash there making a huge waves which will melt thier ice houses

Answer 6

No way anyone would want to live in Antartica it's too cold and global warming is happening so we all sink if all of the ice melted.

Answer 7

I don't know, probably because it is just a tad bit cold there all year round and there really isn't a lot of wildlife or vegetation there for people to feed off of

Answer 8

antarctica is not only the coldest place in the world, but also the windiest. winds in antarctica can reach as high as 200mph, especially during the winter. another reason is because there is no bare soil anywhere in antarctica; completely covered with glaciers.

Answer 9

i think they just froze before they could leave. buuuurrrrrr(the ones that are living there).but as to why ppl. dont live there maybe ummmmm 100 degrees below 0..cmon now!!!

Answer 10

well it is too cold and supplies have to be constantly flied to the camp sites so it is impractical for anyone to permanetly settle there and whowould want to?