's continental shelf may contain sizable reserves of oil and natural gas, perhaps matching those of Iran. And fishing fleets have already begun harvesting krill, the shrimp-like creatures, high in protein, that flourish in Ant- arctic waters. For the 14 nations with direct interests in the con- tinent, the payoff may not be far away.
Politically, Antarctica was sliced up like a pie before the end of World War 11, with wedge-shaped national claims radiating from the South Pole to the coast. Britain...