Queen Maud Land

Queen Maud Land (Norwegian: Dronning Maud Land) is the part of Antarctica lying between the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20°W, and Shinnan Glacier, at 44° 38'E. It has a land area of approximately 2,500,000 km², mostly covered by the Antarctic ice sheet. It was claimed by Norway on January 14, 1938, but this claim, like all others in the Antarctic, is not universally recognized and the area is subject to the terms of the Antarctic Treaty.

Queen Maud Land is divided into five coastal areas which can be thought of extending as sectors to the South Pole, from west to east (clockwise):

No.	Sector	Area (km²)	Western Border! Eastern Border
1	Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst	970 000	020°00' W	005°00' E
2	Prinsesse Astrid Kyst	580 000	005°00' E	020°00' E
3	Prinsesse Ragnhild Kyst	540 000	020°00' E	034°00' E
4	Prins Harald Kyst	230 000	034°00' E	040°00' E
5	Prins Olaf Kyst	180 000	040°00' E	044°38' E
	DRONNING MAUD LAND	2,500,000	020°00' W	044°38' E

The area was first visited in 1930 by Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen as part of efforts to map the Antarctic. Roald Amundsen had previously named it in honour of Queen Maud of Norway and the entire plateau surrounding the South Pole Haakon VII's Vidde in honour of King Haakon VII of Norway. The area originally identified by Amundsen as Queen Maud Land lay between 37° and 50° E.

In 1985, Norway established the Tor research station at Svarthammaren on Queen Maud Land's Princess Martha Coast; and in 2005, Queen Sonja of Norway opened another research station named Troll at Jutulsessen. It is unlike other Antarctic research stations in that it is not located on the ice but on a snow-free rock-covered slope.

Chronology

{|align=right| 1832    ¦¦ John Biscoe's expedition claims to sight Graham Land, although one source states it was Anvers Island.