Location
The sector of the Antarctic below latitude 60 degrees South,
between longitudes 20 degrees West and 80 degrees West.
Size
Total area of 1,709,400 km2.
Climate
The coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world. The
average annual temperature at the South Pole is minus 49 degrees
Celsius.
Topography
Only 1.4% of the BAT’s surface is ice-free. The remainder is
covered by a permanent ice sheet of up to three kilometres
thick.
Biodiversity
On land, although vegetation is sparse, there are many types of
lichen, moss and algae. In the surrounding seas, vast amounts of
krill provide the basis for rich marine life. This includes whales,
seals and very large numbers of birds especially petrels and
penguins, inhabiting the islands and coastal areas of the
Peninsula.
Main economic activities
There is no economic activity in the BAT; however tourism is
growing. The United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) has a
team at Port Lockroy each season. This historic site usually
attracts about 6,000 visitors a year.
Other information
There is no indigenous population in the Territory. The United
Kingdom’s presence is through the British Antarctic Survey (BAS),
which maintains two permanently manned scientific stations (at
Halley and Rothera) and three summer-only stations (at Fossil Bluff
on Alexander Island, Sky Blue at the base of the Antarctic
Peninsula and Signy in the South Orkney Islands).