What is importance of Antarctica in the world today?

Answer 1

Antarctica is a continent of ice.This large mass of ice is what binds the continent. Should the ice melt, Antarctica would be a small continent (eastern Antarctica) and a string of islands where the Antarctic Peninsula is located. This immense ice sheet has a big effect on the Earth's weather, reflecting great amounts of heat from the sun back into the atmosphere, tying up large amounts of Earth's freshwater, and acting as a freezer at the end of the Earth.

Antarctica is the only place on Earth that is not owned by anyone.It is now a continent of peace, environmental protection, and science. There is nowhere in the world except Antarctica where there is no military presence - it is entirely disarmed. No native peoples have inhabited Antarctica. Antarctica is a very unique continent.

At this time Antarctica has become a popular destination for ecotourism. Without a governing body the tour operators (from all countries) have formed a set of rules and organized themselves as the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) for the protection of the continent and safety of the tourists. These are strict guidelines and there is international agreement with their implementation. Expedition leaders in Antarctica generally talk by radio nightly during the busy summer season to exchange information about weather and animals as well as to negotiate their routes so that only one tour operator will be in each of the popular areas. This helps to reduce the impact on the environment as well as to make the tourists feel like they are the only ones "At the End of the Earth".