Antarctica

Daily Pic (Antarctica Treaty System)

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Jan Vermeer/Minden Pictures

A treaty for science

Twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty System on December 1, 1959, establishing the ice-covered continent as a place for scientific study open to all nations and banning any military activity there. Since then, additional countries joined in the treaty—now 53 nations participate in activities at the various research stations there. Our photo shows the northernmost part of Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula, south of Chile and Argentina.

Daily Pic 12/01/17

© AWL Images/Masterfile

Interior of the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain



Daily Pic 09/28/18 (Southern Right Whale)

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Southern right whales sail home to South Africa

Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore—and their curiosity around boats—delight tourists here, making the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hot spot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.

Daily Pic 09/28/17

© The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images

Mount Ibuki Driveway in Maibara, Shiga, Japan