A question about the economy of Antartica?

Question

Can anyone give a brief description of their economy? What is the people's source of livelihood there?

Answer 1

There is no economy. The only inhabitants are scientists and researchers sponsered by various countries. There really aren't any resources to support an economy unless you like penguin meat.

Answer 2

Antarctica is not a country, so it wouldn't have an economy. It's a continent and has almost no population. The world also revolves around the Antarctic Treaty System, which means that no country owns it. Mostly only scientists go there to study.

No population, no country, no economy.

Answer 3

there is no economy everyone there is doing experimental work of one sort or another and are supported by their individual countries.

Answer 4

To all the people who said "no economy" -- of course there is an economy in Antarctica.   There is an economy wherever people trade goods and labor.

Most of the economy of Antarctica consists of importing food, fuel, clothing, construction material, scientific equipment, and office supplies.  There is also some tourism.  Exports consist of personnel reports, status reports, scientific observations, and pictures and memories.

With a population of around 4,000 in summer to about 1,000 in winter, the economy is pretty small.  I would guess the GDP is less than 25 million dollars (or Euros, if you prefer that).  The most popular single job is office assistant, but there are also cooks, electricians, carpenters, boat handlers, mechanics, radio operators, and other jobs.  There are also a few scientists, maybe 1/5 of the entire population.  Most all the jobs come with room and board and basic medical care.  Extra food treats, magazines, CDs, soap, etc. can be bought at the _very_ small stores at the various bases.

Answer 5

This is an easy one.   There is not an economy there, and no source of livelihood other that the people working there are paid by their research groups or various governments.

Answer 6

Their bank accounts have been frozen

Answer 7

Can't find and info on GDP for Antarctica, but peoples source of livelyhood is fishing, tourisim, and scientific research.

Answer 8

Although coal, hydrocarbons, iron ore, platinum, copper, chromium, nickel, gold and other minerals have been found, they have not been in large enough quantities to exploit. The 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty also restricts a struggle for resources. In 1998, a compromise agreement was reached to place an indefinite ban on mining, to be reviewed in 2048, further limiting economic development and exploitation. The primary agricultural activity is the capture and offshore trading of fish. Antarctic fisheries in 2000–01 reported landing 112,934 tonnes.

Small-scale "expedition tourism" has existed since 1957 and is currently subject to Antarctic Treaty and Environmental Protocol provisions, but in effect self-regulated by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Not all vessels associated with Antarctic tourism are members of IAATO, but IAATO members account for 95% of the tourist activity.

Travel is largely by small or medium ship, focusing on specific scenic locations with accessible concentrations of iconic wildlife. A total of 37,506 tourists visited during the 2006–07 Austral summer with nearly all of them coming from commercial ships. The number is predicted to increase to over 80,000 by 2010. There has been some recent concern over the potential adverse environmental and ecosystem effects caused by the influx of visitors. A call for stricter regulations for ships and a tourism quota have been made by some environmentalists and scientists. The primary response by Antarctic Treaty Parties has been to develop, through their Committee for Environmental Protection and in partnership with IAATO, "site use guidelines" setting landing limits and closed or restricted zones on the more frequently visited sites. Antarctic sight seeing flights (which did not land) operated out of Australia and New Zealand until the fatal crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 in 1979 on Mount Erebus, which killed all 257 aboard. Qantas resumed commercial overflights to Antarctica from Australia in the mid-1990s.