Antarctic Treaty

The Antarctic Treaty and its related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth only continent with no native human population. It was the first arms control agreement of the Cold War, designating the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity there, with Antarctica defined for the treaty purposes as all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees south latitude. Since September 2004 the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which implements the treaty system, has been headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.