******************************************************** DEMOGRAPHICS ******************************************************** ***************** ETHNIC MAKE-UP ***************** __________ QUESTION: What is the ethnic make-up of most or all of Antarctica's inhabitants? ANSWER from Guy Guthridge on December 20, 1994: The ethnic makeup of people in Antarctica is as follows: Most of them are from the Antarctic Treaty nation that sent them. Thus most people at the French Antarctic station Dumont d'Urville are French. A happy exception is that there is a good deal of international cooperation in Antarctica. On a given day in December 1994 at McMurdo Station, which the United States operates, of the 1,100 people living there you might meet--in addition to Americans--are Swedes, Canadians, New Zealanders, Italians, Britons, and Russians. ANSWER from Eugene Maya on June 8, 1995: My ancestory is Asian (Japanese-American). Our field camp included one African-American undergrad student (who by chance grew up not very far from where I grew up, but was going to school in Ohio). Our project was 50/50 men and women. I think McMurdo is about 2/3 men and 1/3 women during the summer months (close to 50/50). But the other projects at our field camp (sometimes as many as 40 people) were all male. Some camp staff members were female. This is moving away from the ethnic question, but further, we had people from around the USA. A surprising number came from Alaska (but none native). I think the Alaskans are trying to follow the Sun. You need to like living in remote areas. We had people from Wisconsin, Ohio, Colorado, Calif., Mass., China (two Asians counting myself), England, Australia, Canada (several), and I remember eating at McMurdo with a man from Russia, another from New Zealand (but not with the NZ Program), and all around the world. And the people down there are told to expect this. ************ LANGUAGES ************* __________ QUESTION: What languages do you speak in Antarctica? Answer from Guy Guthridge on February 10: The languages spoken in Antarctica are the same ones spoken in the native countries of the people who go to Antarctica. There is no "Antarctican" language. ************* POPULATION ************* __________ QUESTION: What is the population of Antarctica? ANSWER from Deane Rink on Dec. 19, 1994 During the austral summer, Antarctica contains about 4000 people, most of whom are scientists or the support personnel they rely upon. This does not count tourists who may cruise the oceans around the continent or even briefly visit it. Of these 4000, probably nearly half are associated with the American program. During winter-over, the population is reduced drastically. The American program has maybe 350 winter-overs if you include McMurdo, South Pole, and the Antarctic Peninsula station, Palmer Base. No people live here permanently. __________ QUESTION: How many people are at McMurdo Station? ANSWER from Craig Mundell on January 5, 1995 The population of McMurdo Station varies considerably by the time of year. Currently, there are about 1,000 people here. The breakdown includes about 370 military, 500 from Antarctic Support Associates, and 100 science events. The total population drops considerably during the winter months when there are only about 200 people on station. __________ QUESTION: What is the ratio of males to females in Antarctica? How does this ratio compare to ten or twenty years ago, since more females are doing jobs today that were thought of as male jobs in the past? ANSWER given by Guy Guthridge on January 16, 1995 The ratio varies from national program to national program. Most Antarctic stations have a mixed population of men and women. A few years ago, women comprised 100 percent of the population of a German Antarctic station. Women first joined an American Antarctic research ship in 1963. Women first participated in the land-based part of the United States Antarctic Program in 1969. Since then, they have assimilated into all aspects of the program--pilots, cooks, scientists, station managers, field assistants, etc. Overall, women are about one-fourth to one-third of the U.S. Antarctic population. The ratio of women to men varies a little from year to year depending on who applies for and gets a research grant or a job, but generally it has been going up since 1969. At Palmer Station for awhile in late 1994, 49 percent of the residents were women. In some job categories, particularly construction and some fields of science, women hold a higher fraction of the Antarctic jobs than in the United States.