On December 1, 1959, twelve nations, including the United States of America, signed the Antarctic Treaty. The purpose of the treaty was to ban military and other related activity, and to promote scientific research and investigation on the continent known as Antarctica.

Several nations throughout the world had laid claim to different parts of Antarctica as early as the 1800s. The treaty, however, did not speak to any type of regulation of prior territorial claims. Instead, it was created by representatives of the United States and the Soviet Union to control military and other related activity during the Cold War era. The treaty prevented any type of presence by any country’s respective military forces. It also prevented weapons’ testing, with a particular emphasis on nuclear weapons.

Despite previous opposition to any type of agreement regarding this somewhat untouched continent, twelve nations signed the treaty, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union. These nations had one major thing in common—they were all of the known nations that had any type of territorial claim on the continent of Antarctica.

Although the Antarctic Treaty was signed on December 1, 1959, it formally went into effect in June 1961. This treaty continues to govern the continent of Antarctica to the present day. It was reviewed in 1991, and was signed by those same nations. Since that time, other countries have consented to the Antarctic Treaty, and to the continued demilitarization and scientific exploration of Antarctica.