Estimated reading time: 1 minute
In 2012, the British sovereign celebrated the Diamond Jubilee, and after a visit to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Foreign Secretary William Hague announced that the southern part of British Antarctic territory had been named ″Queen Elizabeth Land″ in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The area now known as ″Queen Elizabeth Land″, which previously had no name, is around 437,000 square kilometers.
″Queen Elizabeth Land″ is bounded on the north by the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, on the northeast by Coats Land, on the east by Dronning Maud Land and extends on the west between the South Pole and the Rutford Ice Stream.
The name ″Queen Elizabeth Land″ will now be used on all British maps. Due to Antarctica’s unique status, which is covered by an international treaty suspending territorial sovereignty, other countries will decide whether or not to officially recognize the name.
If you want to find out who owns Antarctica, check out our article on this topic: Who owns Antarctica?
[Photo from Pixabay]
