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2019 Stamp Set: Centenary of the Scott Polar Research Institute

The British Antarctic Territory is delighted to mark the centenary of the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI). Find out where to buy The stamps illustrate the origins of SPRI and the Institute today. Founded in 1920, as part of the University of Cambridge, the Institute is the oldest international centre for polar research within a…

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The Discovery of Antarctica and Antarctica Today

On Monday 18 November 2019, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), hosted a lecture marking 200 years since the discovery of land in Antarctica. Three speakers considered Antarctica’s history and its unique status as a continent reserved for peace and science. Camilla Nichol, Chief Executive of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust began proceedings, taking the…

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2019 Stamp Set: Icebergs

Find out where to buy In July 2017 an area of floating ice shelf four times the size of London broke away from the Larsen Ice Shelf, within the British Antarctic Territory (BAT). Known officially as ‘A68’ is one of the largest icebergs on record. Icebergs can present a serious maritime danger, with up to…

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2019 Stamp Set: Port Lockroy

Marking 75 years since the secret wartime mission Operation Tabarin. The British Antarctic Territory are delighted to present this stamp set showing the changing face of one of the best-known sites in Antarctica and origin of the British Antarctic Survey – Port Lockroy. Find out where to buy Port Lockroy is a Historic Site and…

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First Landing in the British Antarctic Territory- 200 years ago

200 years ago today (16 October 1819), Captain William Smith made the first recorded landing in the British Antarctic Territory, on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. But who was William Smith, and what was his legacy? William Smith William Smith was born in Britain at Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, on 11 October 1790.…

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Moby Dick – Place Names

As part of a regular series on the meaning of place names in the Territory, this latest edition focuses on a Moby Dick inspired theme in the Antarctic Peninsula. August 1st was the 200th anniversary of Herman Melville’s birth. Testament to the variety of themes present in the APC gazetteer, there is a Moby Dick…

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Naming Ceremony of RRS Sir David Attenborough

On 26 September 2019, the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough was officially named by HRH the Duchess of Cambridge. The Government of the British Antarctic Territory were proud to attend this historic occasion. Pictured above are Deputy Commissioner (Jane Rumble OBE) and Administrator (Stuart Doubleday) with the Director of the British Antarctic Survey (Prof…

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Boaty McBoatface – 2019

Pobjoy Mint have just released another Boaty McBoatface 50p coin on our behalf. This new coin compliments the first coin issued in 2018 and celebrates the official naming of the RRS Sir David Attenborough. Autosub Long Range vehicles like Boaty help Oceanographers investigate processes that drive changes in the Polar Regions. This sophisticated vehicle can…

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RRS Sir David Attenborough – 2019

On 26 September 2019, the UK’s new state-of-the-art polar reseach ship will be officially named. To mark this occasion, our friends at Pobjoy Mint have created this wonderful coin depicting this exciting new vessel – the Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough. You can buy this coin from Pobjoy Mint directly or through all good coin…

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British Antarctic Territory in a 1.5°C warmed world

The journal ‘Frontiers in Environmental Science’ recently published a paper summarising the likely changes that will happen to the Antarctic Peninsula when global temperatures rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Read the paper in full. Professor Martin Siegert of the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, led the work and co-collaborators included scientists and experts from the…

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