| Summary: | The Antarctic is that region of the Southern Hemisphere containing the continent of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that surrounds it. The region (hereinafter 'Antarctica') has a number of boundaries, both in law (for example, 'south of 60° South') and in the natural sciences (for example, 'south of the Antarctic Convergence'). The variety of economically viable natural resources in Antarctica is limited. The region has suffered from over-exploitation of whales, seals and penguins since Captain Cook returned to England and reported that the southern seas were teeming with wildlife. Explorers, such as Sir Douglas Mawson, collected geological specimens on their exploration and discovery expeditions, and these collections supported theories that the same kinds of minerals being extracted in post-Gondwana continents such as India and Australia might also be found in Antarctica. But this place has never been seen as a storehouse of great riches, per se , because of its relative isolation, inhospitable climate and the economic impracticality of resource extraction. Rather, since the twentieth century, Antarctica has become valued more for its potential for scientific information, including about global climate processes, than for its economic potential.
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