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Queen Elizabeth Land

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2013

Klaus Dodds
Klaus Dodds*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX ([email protected])
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Abstract

This note considers the decision by the UK government to rename the southern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula - Queen Elizabeth Land. Named in honour of the UK Head of State, it was intended to be a ‘gift’ recognising her Diamond Jubilee. However, the 169,000 square mile territory in question is counter-claimed by Argentina and Chile. The circumstances surrounding this declaration, in December 2012, reveals both the contested politics of Antarctic place naming, and a growing willingness of the UK government to strengthen its ‘strategic presence’ in the Antarctic and wider South Atlantic/Falkland Islands region. This naming event provoked Argentina to issue a formal protest note to the UK Ambassador to Argentina.

Type
Notes
Information
Polar Record , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , June 2014 , pp. 330 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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