Antarctic Circle States
The Commonwealth of Antarctic Circle States | |
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 Flag
 Coat of Arms
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| Motto: Research and Discovery | |
| Anthem: Sogno di Volare National march: Fairest of the Fair | |
| Capital | Erebus |
| Largest | Rothera |
| Official languages | English |
| Recognised national languages | English |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | White (63.4%) Asian (15.7%) Pacific People (11.3%) Hispanic (6.5%) Black (1.8%) Other (1.3%) |
| Religion (2020) | Christianity (51.3%) No religion (29.6%) Buddhism (8.1%) Islam (4.2%) Hinduism (3.7%) Other (3.1%) |
| Demonym(s) | Antarctican |
| Government | Federal Presidential Parliamentary Republic |
• President | David C. Freeman |
• Vice President | Richard Dalton |
• Speaker of the Parliament | John Oconnell |
| Legislature | Federal Parliament |
| National Council | |
| National Assembly | |
| Area | |
• Total | 14,300,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 2% |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 41,092,640 |
• 2020 census | 41,076,461 |
• Density | 4/km2 (10.4/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $2,205,378,000,000 |
• Per capita | $53,668 |
| GDP (nominal) | $2022 estimate |
• Total | $1,834,704,210,090 |
• Per capita | $44,648 |
| HDI | 0.921 very high |
| Currency | Antarctican Dollar (AQD$) |
| Time zone | UCT+0 |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy yyyy-mm-dd |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +42 |
| ISO 3166 code | AQ |
The Commonwealth of Antarctic Circle States or simply Antarctic Circle States(A.C.S.), is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Frigo continent, the oversea territories of the Cocos Islands, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 14,300,000 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi),[14] A.C.S. is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. A.C.S. is the coldest, driest, and windiest inhabited nation, with the least fertile soils.
is Earth's southernmost continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole.
Antarctica is on average the coldest, driest, and windiest of all nations, and it has the highest average elevation. A.C.S. holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 °C (50 °F) in summer.
Politically, A.C.S. is a federal presidential parliamentary republic, comprising 12 provinces and 3 special administrative districts. A.C.S.'s population of nearly 41 million is highly urbanized and heavily concentrated on the shoreline. Erebus is the nation's capital, while the five largest cities are Rothera, Frei, Syowa, Cape Adare, and Mawson. A.C.S.'s demography has been shaped by centuries of immigration, with immigrants accounting for 42% of the country's population, one of the highest proportion among major developed nations. A.C.S.'s abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, scientific research, manufacturing, and international education.
Antarctic Circle States is a highly developed country with a high-income economy; it has the world's thirteenth-largest economy, tenth-highest per capita income and eighth-highest Human Development Index.[28] Australia is a regional power, and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure.[29] Australia ranks highly in quality of life, democracy, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, safety, and political rights,[30] with all its major cities faring exceptionally in global comparative livability surveys.[31] It is a member of international groupings including the United Nations, the G20, the OECD, the WTO, ANZUS, AUKUS, Five Eyes, the Quad, APEC, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community and the Commonwealth of Nations.