Operación 90
Encyclopedia
Operación 90 was the first Argentine ground expedition to the South Pole
, conducted in 1965, by ten soldiers of the Argentine Army
under then-Colonel Jorge E. Leal. It was performed to attempt to cement Argentina
's claims to a portion of Antarctica, as well as for scientific reasons and to perfect polar exploration techniques. The operation was named for the target 90 degree South latitude
point (the South Pole
).
The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any military activity in Antarctica
. To date, Operación 90 is the only documented military land manoeuvre on Antarctic territory.
Leal's team departed from General Belgrano Army Base on October 26, 1965, and reached the South Pole on December 10. They then returned to Base Belgrano, which they reached on December 31. Overall, the mission lasted 66 days.
The operation was performed in secret so as not to upset the superpowers of the time, the United States
and Soviet Union
. It had no real purpose except to exercise the claimed right of Argentina to the continuation of its landmass which (along with almost the entire Western Hemisphere including the US and Canada) had been proclaimed as a Spanish
entitlement by Pope Alexander VI
in 1493 through the Treaty of Tordesillas
.
The only interesting occurrence of the operation, according to General Jorge E. Leal, was that the group encountered a radar operator from the United States
who asked them who they were and what they were doing there. The group, after Leal explained that they were not Soviets
, was invited to eat at the American
sub-snow base—the first good food, said Leal, that the group had had in some weeks.
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
, conducted in 1965, by ten soldiers of the Argentine Army
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
under then-Colonel Jorge E. Leal. It was performed to attempt to cement Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's claims to a portion of Antarctica, as well as for scientific reasons and to perfect polar exploration techniques. The operation was named for the target 90 degree South latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
point (the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
).
The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any military activity in Antarctica
Military activity in the Antarctic
As Antarctica has never been permanently settled by humans, there has historically been little military activity in the Antarctic. While the Antarctic Treaty, which came into effect on June 23, 1961, bans military activity in Antarctica, military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific...
. To date, Operación 90 is the only documented military land manoeuvre on Antarctic territory.
Leal's team departed from General Belgrano Army Base on October 26, 1965, and reached the South Pole on December 10. They then returned to Base Belgrano, which they reached on December 31. Overall, the mission lasted 66 days.
The operation was performed in secret so as not to upset the superpowers of the time, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. It had no real purpose except to exercise the claimed right of Argentina to the continuation of its landmass which (along with almost the entire Western Hemisphere including the US and Canada) had been proclaimed as a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
entitlement by Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
in 1493 through the Treaty of Tordesillas
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas , signed at Tordesillas , , divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along a meridian 370 leagueswest of the Cape Verde islands...
.
The only interesting occurrence of the operation, according to General Jorge E. Leal, was that the group encountered a radar operator from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who asked them who they were and what they were doing there. The group, after Leal explained that they were not Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, was invited to eat at the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sub-snow base—the first good food, said Leal, that the group had had in some weeks.