Antarctic Exploration, Heroic Age of

The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration is an era that extends from the end of the 19th century to the early 1920s.

During this 25-year period, the Antarctic continent becomes the focus of an international effort that results in intensive scientific and geographical exploration and in which 17 major Antarctic expeditions are launched from eight countries.

The common factor in these expeditions is the limited nature of the resources available to them before advances in transport and communication technologies revolutionize the work of exploration.

This means that each expedition becomes a feat of endurance that tests its personnel to physical and mental limits, and sometimes beyond.

The "heroic" label, bestowed later, recognizes the adversities which had to be overcome by these pioneers, some of whom did not survive the experience; during this period 19 expedition members died.During the course of these expeditions the geographical and magnetic poles are both reached.

The achievement of being first to the geographical South Pole is a primary object in some expeditions, and is the sole rationale for Roald Amundsen's venture.

However, this is not the only aspect of polar exploration during this time; other expeditions work with defined objectives in different areas of the continent.

As a result of all this activity, much of the continent's coastline is discovered and mapped, and significant areas of its interior are explored.

The expeditions also generate large quantities of scientific data and specimens across a wide range of scientific disciplines, the examination and analysis of which will keep the world's scientific communities busy for decades.

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