Chronograph AtlasSouthern polar continent. Explore selected places, societies and political changes in this region. Each account links to its corresponding year and place in the interactive atlas.
610–1299
No human settlements or states are known here in 610–1299. Documented sightings of the continent date to 1820.
Sources: British Antarctic Territory. History of the Territory. Australian Antarctic Program. Exploration and expeditions: from sealers to science.
View on the map: Antarctica, 6101841–1843
James Clark Ross’s expedition explores the sea, ice barrier and Victoria Land coast. This is an area of observation without permanent settlement.
Sources: Royal Museums Greenwich. History of Antarctic explorers; HMS Terror and Erebus.
View on the map: Ross Sea · exploratory voyages, 18411901–1914
Wintering bases by the Ross Sea support exploration and journeys to the pole.
Sources: British Antarctic Survey. South Pole Conquered 100 Years Ago Today; Scott Polar Research Institute. The Terra Nova Expedition.
View on the map: Ross Sea · polar expeditions, 1901Historical frontiers are reconstructions at atlas scale. A territory, a dependent polity and a cultural area do not mean the same thing: read the selected card for its status and period. Medieval boundaries often followed zones of influence rather than surveyed lines. Modern borders provide a geographical reference, not evidence of historical ownership.