Desolate, cold, inhospitable, relegated to the backyards of exploration and knowledge. Antarctica did not emerge from this unfortunate fate till less than 100 years ago, before which, whalers and seafarers were its only visitors. Cartographers barely acknowledged its presence (or chose to ignore it altogether). And the first explorations, which began in early 20th century, remained restricted to the enormous continent's fringes.

All this changed after 1957-58, the International Geophysical Year. Antarctica was selected as an outpost for conducting geophysical and atmospheric research by an international coalition of 66 countries. Twelve of the participating nations