West Antarctica

From Freepedia

West Antarctica, or Lesser Antarctica (79°S′ 100 W°′ {{{6}}}) is one of the two major regions of Antarctica, lying on the Pacific Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains and comprising Marie Byrd Land, Ellsworth Land, and Antarctic Peninsula. All of West Antarctica lies within the Western Hemisphere. It is separated from the main land mass of the continent by the Ross Sea and Weddell Sea, and resembles a giant peninsula that stretches roughly from the South Pole towards the southern tip of South America.

The name has been in existence more than 90 years (Balch, 1902; Nordenskjold, 1905), but its greatest use followed the International Geophysical Year (1957-58) and explorations disclosing that the Transantarctic Mountains provide a useful regional separation of West Antarctica and East Antarctica. The name was approved by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1962.

This article is based on a USGS gazetteer.