There are no indigenous people in Antarctica. The population varies from fewer than 1000 in winter to almost 20000 in summer : 5000 scientists from 27 of the countries belonging to the Antarctic Treaty, plus 14000 tourists
The nearest land mass is south America, which is approximately 1000 kilometres from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The surface area of Antarctica is 36 million square kilometres.
Antarctica currently has no economic activity apart from offshore fishing and tourism, and these are run by other nations.
Tourism in Antarctica is mainly by around twenty vessels carrying 45 to 280 passengers each.
Most trips take about ten days to three weeks from port to port.
Antarctic visits are mainly concentrated at ice-free coastal zones over the Antarctic summer. the five-month period from November to March. In high summer there will be more than twenty hours of daylight per day.