Queen Maud Land is a fairly wide area on the coast of Antarctica from the Atlantic Ocean. It is considered an independent territory, but Norway has claimed it for several decades.
A bit of history
Queen Maud Land is the territory of East Antarctica between 20 degrees West and 45 degrees East. Its southern and northern borders have not been officially defined. The territory owes its name to the Princess of Wales and Queen of Norway - Maud Charlotte Maria Victoria.
The first person to see these lands was the Russian traveler Thaddeus Bellingshausen. Russian sailors approached the shores of Queen Maud Land in 1820, but they did not leave the ship. The first to set foot on its coast was the Scotsman William Spears Bruce. This happened in 1904. However, in those days, the whaling ships of the Norwegian Lars Christensen made a significant contribution to the study of this area.
Natural features
Queen Maud Land impresses with its "cold" beauty. The local landscape is created from pictures of bright blue glaciers and ice caves, endless snow-white fields and peaked mountains that rise majestically over the snowy plains. This is a real paradise for experienced climbers, connoisseurs of pristine nature and true adventure seekers.
Queen Maud Land is considered an ideal starting point for skiing trips to the South Pole. It is also a great place to get a truly vivid experience of the beauty of Antarctica.
The most interesting place in this area is the Schirmacher oasis - this is a hilly, non-freezing area with several partially frozen melt water dams. The oasis is 17 kilometers long. It owes its name to the German aircraft captain who flew over the area for the first time. This happened as part of the Schwabenland expedition.
Now in this oasis there are scientific expeditions of several states, in particular, India and Russia. They carry out glaciological, meteorological, geological, medical, biological and other research. Currently, Queen Maud Land is subject to the Antarctic Treaty, which prohibits states from using it in any way other than research work.
The record for the lowest temperature in Antarctica was recorded on Queen Maud Land. It was minus 91.2 degrees.
Flora and fauna
The flora of Queen Maud Land is mainly represented by lichens and mosses; lower algae are present in the water. The fauna of this territory is also not so rich. All four species of Antarctic seals can be found in the water. Emperor penguins rule on land, while South Polar skuas, snow petrels and Antarctic petrels rule the skies.
Legends and mysteries of Queen Maud Land
This territory of Antarctica is covered with the most incredible myths and legends. It is believed that there was a top-secret base called "New Swabia", aka "Base 211". It was a whole city underground, in the laboratories of which UFOs - "flying saucers" were produced. According to a number of scientists, it was in this underground city that Mueller, Bormann and Hitler were hiding after the Second World War.
