Antarctica Historical Map

Antarctica historical map and regions, showing the routes of the most important explorations. Source: Hammond’s Modern Atlas of the World, published in 1920 (on the right, click to enlarge).

Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, aboard the ships Vostok and Mirny in 1820, is credited as the first documented sighting of the Antarctic continent. U.S. sealer John Davis is believed to be the first person to set foot on the continent in 1821. From 1837 to 1840, French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville mapped parts of the Antarctic coastline, including Terre Adélie. From 1839 to 1843, James Clark Ross's expedition explored the Ross Sea, discovered active volcanoes (Mount Erebus and Mount Terror). The great historical expeditions to Antarctica began at the end of the 19th century. By the early 1920s, 17 major Antarctic expeditions had been launched from ten countries.

Scene showing part of Mount Erebus (left), the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located on Ross Island, Antarctica. Its summit elevation of 3,792 meters (12,441 feet), makes it the second the second-highest volcano in Antarctica, after the dormant Mount Sidley.