Viking Cruises

Destination Guide - Antarctica

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8 | Antarctica Destination Guide Antarctica, the southernmost continent, has long been regarded with intrigue and a sense of myster y. The final continent to be discovered, mapped and char ted, its icy terrain remained little more than speculation until the 19th centur y. The ancient Greeks were among the first to hypothesise the existence of a southern continent. They believed in the concept of "Terra Australis Incognita" (Unknown Southern Land), which was thought to balance the landmasses in the Nor thern Hemisphere. This idea was based on the principle of symmetr y and balance in nature. The Greeks named this hypothetical land "Antarktikos," meaning "opposite the Arctic." e history of Antarctic exploration: from early expeditions to modern research stations e Intrigue of the WHITE CONTINENT Recent studies suggest that Polynesian explorers might have reached the Antarctic waters long before Western explorers. Oral histories and traditional stories from Māori and other Polynesian cultures describe voyages to a distant, icy land, possibly as early as the 7th centur y. During the Age of Exploration, from the 15th to the 18th centuries, European explorers and car tographers continued to speculate about a southern continent. But it wasn't until 1820, that explorers from Russia, Britain and the United States first star ted to claim to have seen the continent – all within days of each other. These early expeditions were perilous, with explorers facing extreme cold, EXPLORERS' LOUNGE DISPLAY CASE

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