Tourism in the Antarctic region: the pole of geopolitical interests

The global geopolitical issues and problems caused by the tourist development of Antarctica are the most insufficiently studied by researchers. Nevertheless, this “frozen” part of the world is increasingly entering the space of geopolitical interests of many countries of the world, where scientific and tourist activities are becoming the most important factors in fixing territorial interests. The article attempts to consider the historical aspects of political geography of this region, analyzes the manifestations of countries’ geopolitical interests, and systematizes the currently existing administrative and political statuses of individual territories. The author gives detailed political and geographical description of territorial claims to Antarctica and analyzes the degree of involvement of the countries in the Antarctic political issues through their participation in the Antarctic (Washington) Treaty. The article considers the trends of economic and economic development of the continent, including tourist development. The Antarctic region has become the most striking example of the manifestation of "soft power" in political disputes around the region, has become one of the factors of disagreement between individual countries on the forms and methods of its implementation. As a practical case, clearly demonstrating the actualization by some countries of the world their own territorial claims in the region, the samples of products from the category of "Antarctic philately" are given. Antarctica, the "Klondike of the XXI century ", in the near future has every chance of becoming one of the "hot spots" of the planet. Perhaps it is tourism that can become that “soft power” that will not allow another geopolitical catastrophe on a global scale.