Emilio Palma
Emilio Marcos Palma (born
January 7,
1978) was the first known person to be born on the continent of
Antarctica. He was also born farther south than any other human being in known history. The son of
Argentine parents, Emilio's birth took place in
Fortín Sargento Cabral at the
Esperanza Base near the tip of the
Antarctic peninsula.
Since his parents were Argentine citizens, and he was born at an Argentine base, he was immediately granted citizenship of Argentina. Additionally, as the base falls within the reclaimed
British Antarctic Territory and he was born before 1983, when
British nationality by birth was automatically acquired, he also acquired British nationality at birth.
He is featured in the
Guinness Book of Records as the only person in history known to be the
first born on a continent. However,
Solveig Gunbjörg Jacobsen, born in the island territory of
South Georgia, is sometimes claimed as the actual first Antarctica birth due to that territory being considered part of Antarctica for some purposes.
