ECONOMIC RESOURCES 
The economic role which Antarctica plays in human 
affairs is a simple one. Although the continent proper is a 
great desert, the seas that surround it are notable for their 
abundance of life. Whaling is currently the only exploita- 
tion of this abundance, but it is an important industry 
which accounts for eighty-five per cent of the world’s total 
production of whale oil. 
Of the nonrenewable or mineral resources, coal is present 
in Antarctica in vast quantities. It is, however, low grade 
lignite and not even in the predictable future can it be 
regarded as an economic asset. The structure and geology 
of the rocks in west Antarctica suggest the possibility of oil. 
‘Traces of manganese, nickel, copper, and other ores have 
been found, but at the present time we know of no com- 
mercial deposits of any mineral whatsoever in Antarctica. 
It is unwarranted to assume that there are great riches. 
It is equally unwarranted to assume that there are none. 
We just don’t know, for less than one per cent of the 
continent has really been examined geologically. 
SOVEREIGNTY PROBLEMS 
One of Antarctica’s roles in human affairs is apt to center 
around the question of its ownership. Seven nations have 
claimed pie-shaped sectors: Great Britain, New Zealand, 
Australia, Norway, Chile, Argentina, and France, leaving 
unclaimed a sector from 150° to 90° W. — West Antarctica, 
which includes Marie Byrd Land and which has been the 
principal area of recent United States explorations before 
the IGY. 
These claims are based upon debatable evidence. The 
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