In between 1908 and 1942, 7 countries claimed sovereignty over this continent. Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Apart from them, there were countries the USA, the Soviet Union, Japan, Sweden, Belgium, and Germany, who were conducting explorations conducting new expeditions on Antarctica, without claiming any territory.
During Hitler’s rule, in 1939, a German Antarctic Expedition was carried out, in which they flew in an aeroplane to take pictures of some areas of the Antarctic. They even dropped metal Nazi Swastikas, claiming that the areas where the Swastikas were dropped, were under the control of Nazi Germany.
Surprisingly, during this period, the USA wasn’t very active. In 1924, the Secretary of State in America, announced their official position regarding the territorial claims on Antarctica. He said that if any country discovers new land in Antarctica, it doesn’t mean that the new areas, would belong to the country. The land would belong to the country only when there are actual settlements in the area. When the citizens of that country live there permanently. But this didn’t happen.
