Kazakhstan plants National Flag in Antarctica

    A expedition team from Kazakhstan has planted the national flag in Antarctica, in honour of the 20th anniversary of the country's independence and the 100th anniversary of the conquest of the South Pole.
    In autumn, the very first automotive expedition made up of a group of Kazakhstani scientists set off for the South Pole.
    Antarctic Expedition Leader, Nurlan Abduov said "The expedition went well. Of course, it wasn’t easy at all. However, we achieved the main objectives of the expedition and hoisted Kazakhstan’s flag at the South Pole on December 14, the day of the 100th anniversary of the conquest of the South Pole and respectively, during celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. We have also conducted a research program,” Caspionet reports.
    The Kazakhstan team spent just one day in Antarctica, but managed to conduct radiation and environmental monitoring on the air and took samples of water and ice.
    All materials will be delivered to KazHydroMet for scientific study. As part of an agreement with Russian scientists, the results will be added to the common Antarctic database. This was not the team’s final objective, however, as it has now proposed Kazakhstan consider joining the Antarctic Treaty.
    Expedition Participant Berik Baimagambetov commented, “I hope the government will support our proposal and Kazakhstan will join the Antarctic Treaty. Later, we hope Kazakhstan’s polar hydrometeorological stations will be open for geologists geophysicists and biologists to join,” Caspionet said.