Ross Dependency
The
Ross Dependency comprises an area of
Antarctica between the
Ross Sea and the
South Pole that the British government took possession of in 1923 and entrusted to the administration of
New Zealand. It lies between longitudes 160 degrees east and 150 degrees west and to the south of the Antarctic circle. The Dependency takes its name from Sir
James Clark Ross, who discovered the Ross Sea.
The
Governor of the Ross Dependency is (as of 2004) the
Governor-General of New Zealand. Officers of the Government of the Ross Dependency are annually appointed to run the Dependency.
The Dependency includes most of the Ross Ice Shelf. The scientific bases of
Scott Base (New Zealand) and
McMurdo Station (USA) currently form the only permanently occupied human habitations in the area - unless one includes the
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The Dependency has an ice runway at Williams Field, normally only suitable for landing ski-equipped aircraft during the summer season.
The
Ross Island,
Balleny Islands and the small
Scott Island also form part of the Dependency.
Postage Stamps
The Dependency originally bore the name King Edward VII Land, and the New Zealand Post Office overprinted some 23,492 postage stamps with that name for use by the 1908 Shackleton expedition. Ernest Shackleton was sworn in as the first postmaster. In later years, the New Zealand Post Office issued stamps under the name "Ross Dependency" for use by expeditions in the Dependency. Stamp issues ceased for a time after the Scott Base Post Office closed as part of the rationalisation of
New Zealand Post in
1987. But they were reintroduced again in
1994 due to demand.
External links
