Antarctica, the icy bottom of the world, is one of the planet's last great wildernesses. With no permanent residents, the continent is managed by a treaty, which was signed by 12 nations in 1959 and was renewed in 1991. The treaty allows these countries, including the U.S., to conduct research in Antarctica, but calls the continent a natural preserve, "devoted to peace and science." But now another country down under is trying to undermine the treaty.

An Australian senator wants his country to start capitalizing on Antarctica's resources. He has publicly called on Australia to mine Antarctica for coal, gold, and iron ore, as well as to exploit the continent's fish stocks. According to The Australian newspaper, "He said if Australia did not start exploiting the mineral wealth of Antarctica soon, other countries would extract minerals from the pristine continent."

Other Australian officials, including the environment minister, dismissed the call to mine Antarctica, calling it "ill-founded." It's also a violation of the Antarctic Treaty.

The Treaty protects Antarctica as essentially a wilderness area. According to a section drafted at a 1999 meeting, "As an environmental regime it is unique - an entire continent, which is essentially undisturbed, will remain protected because of the commitment and cooperation of the Treaty parties."

Tourism is increasing, though the difficulty of getting there means that most visitors travel there on guided tours to Antarctica, arriving by boat and remaining close to the shore. Still, some - including, notably, the Australian government - have called for restrictions on the number of tourists that can travel there - but as of now the only restriction is the cost of travel.

Image credit: NASA