In 2023, Antarctica isn’t exactly the pristine wilderness you might imagine. The coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth – untouched by humans until around 200 years ago – now contains more than 70 permanent research stations and was visited by over 100,000 tourists in the 2022/2023 season.

At a time when many are questioning whether the end of the Antarctic Treaty in 2048 could lead to mineral, oil and gas exploitation in the region, read on as we chart the continent’s fraught history from early exploration to the present day. All dollar amounts in US dollars.