British Antarctic Territory

British Antarctic Territory
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Research and discovery"
Anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Position of the United Kingdom (white) relative to the edge of its Antarctic territorial claim (striped).
Status	British Overseas Territory
Main base and administrative centre	Rothera
Official languages	English
Government
• Monarch	Elizabeth II
• Commissioner	Peter Hayes
• Deputy Commissioner	Jane Rumble
• Administrator	Henry Burgess
• Responsible Ministera (UK)	James Duddridge MP
Establishment
• Claimed	1908
Area
• Total	1,709,400 km2 (660,000 sq mi)
Population
• Summer estimate	250
Currency	Pound sterling (GBP)
Time zone	UTC-3
Internet TLD	.aqb
For the Overseas Territories. .uk (UK), .ar (Argentina) and .cl (Chile) also used.
UK Postcode: BIQQ 1ZZ Chile postcode: 6360000

The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories, and is the largest. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes 20°W and 80°W, forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole, overlapping the Antarctic claims of Argentina (Argentine Antarctica) and Chile (Chilean Antarctic Territory).

The Territory was formed on 3 March 1962, although the UK's claim to this portion of the Antarctic dates back to Letters patent of 1908 and 1917. The area now covered by the Territory includes three regions which, before 1962, were administered by the British as separate dependencies of the Falkland Islands: Graham Land, the South Orkney Islands, and the South Shetland Islands. Since the Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961, Article 4 of which states "No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim, to territorial sovereignty shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force." Most countries do not recognise territorial claims in Antarctica. The United Kingdom has ratified the treaty.

In 2012, the southern part of the territory was named Queen Elizabeth Land in honour of Queen Elizabeth II. The territory is inhabited by the staff of research and support stations operated and maintained by the British Antarctic Survey and other organisations, and stations of Argentina, Chile and other countries. There are no native inhabitants.