Antarctic Sovereignty; from Captain Cook to Operation Tabarin

A talk by Dr Robert Headland, biologist with the British Antarctic Survey.

Claims of sovereign territory in Antarctic regions began with the circumnavigation of Captain Cook but became formalised from 1908 when the earliest of the territorial claims were formally defined as a result of the fast growing exploitation of the Southern Ocean resources. The resources, as well as resulting territorial complications, became acutely significant during the Second World War. The result was a secret Royal Naval project: Operation Tabarin.

Robert Headland has worked in both polar regions from 1977 as a biologist with the British Antarctic Survey. Subsequently he joined the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge as archivist and curator. He is now a senior associate of the Institute. His published works include books and numerous articles on the history, geography, and diplomacy of Antarctica.