Australian Antarctic Territory

Australian Antarctic Territory, region of East Antarctica formally claimed by Australia in 1936. It includes the land area situated south of latitude 60° south and between longitude 45° east and 160° east, except for the portion between longitude 136 20’ and 142 20’ which was claimed by France as Adélie Land. Australian scientific stations are maintained at Mawson (on the Mawson Coast of Mac. Robertson Land), at Davis (in Princess Elizabeth Land), and at Casey (in Wilkes Land). The Antarctic Treaty, the international agreement that has governed Antarctica since 1961, made no ruling on the validity of this or other Antarctic land claims. However, it states that nations are not required to recognize the land claims of other nations. Area, about 6,100,000 sq km (about 2,360,000 sq mi).