Antarctica Address Format With Examples
Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth, situated almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle. It surrounds the geographic South Pole and is bordered by the Southern Ocean on all sides. It is the fifth-largest continent, roughly twice the size of Australia.
Antarctica has no countries and no recognized sovereign borders due to the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), signed in 1959. This treaty designates the continent as a scientific preserve, bans military activity, and suspends territorial claims. Several nations have laid claims, but these are not universally recognized, and no official political borders exist.
Antarctica is unlike any other continent because it has no native population, no cities, and no standard national postal system. Instead, all postal services are operated by the countries that maintain research stations and bases there.
Each research station belongs to a country such as the UK, the US, Argentina, Chile, Australia, or New Zealand. When someone sends or receives mail in Antarctica, they must use the addressing style of the sponsoring country’s postal authority.
Unlike countries that use standardized postal codes, Antarctica has no continent-wide postal code system. Each nation assigns its postal codes or military APO/FPO codes, so the way an Antarctic address looks depends entirely on which country is managing that station. We will help you understand how different countries write address formats.
Antarctica Address Format Breakdown and Examples for Major Countries
United States
Mail to American Antarctic stations goes through the U.S. military postal system (APO/FPO). The address format is as follows. PSC refers to the Postal Service Center, and AP indicates the Armed Forces Pacific.
| Format | Example |
| Recipient Name
P.O. Box Number PSC 469 Box Number APO AP Number United States of America |
Dr. Emily Thompson
P.O. Box 9876 PSC 469 Box 4321 APO AP 96599-6789 United States of America |
United Kingdom
UK mail to Antarctica is routed through the Falkland Islands and has the following address format.
| Format | Example |
| Recipient Name
Station Name British Antarctic Territory Via Falkland Islands |
Dr. Oliver Green
Port Lockroy British Antarctic Territory Via Falkland Islands |
Argentina
Argentina treats its Antarctic bases as part of its national postal system and has the following address format.
| Format | Example |
| Recipient Name
Base [Station Name] Antártida Argentina Postal Code Argentina |
Dr. Sofia Martinez
Base Esperanza Antártida Argentina V9411AWJ Argentina |
Chile
Chile routes Antarctic mail through Punta Arenas and accepts the following address format.
| Format | Example |
| Recipient Name
Base [Station Name] Antártica Chilena Chile |
Dr. Alejandro Rojas
Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Antártica Chilena Chile |
Australia
Australian Antarctic mail is routed through Hobart, Tasmania, and has the following address format.
| Format | Example |
| Recipient Name
Australian Antarctic Division Station Name, Antarctica Australian Antarctic Division’s Headquarters Australia |
Dr. Lucas Turner
Australian Antarctic Division Casey Station, Antarctica Channel Highway, Kingston TAS 7050 Australia |
Postal Information
| No. of Administrative Areas | 0 |
| Administrative Area Names and Their Abbreviations | Not Applicable |
| Postal Language | No official postal language. |
| Postal Service Provider | No independent postal authority. |
Country Information
| Country/Territory Name | Antarctica |
| Capital | No capital |
| Major Research Stations | McMurdo Station
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station Esperanza Base Villa Las Estrellas |
| Endonym | Antarctica |
| ISO Codes | ISO 3166-1 numeric code: 010
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code: AQ ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code: ATA ISO3: ATA |
Population Information
| Total Population | No permanent population, but it typically hosts 1000-1500 scientists depending upon the season. |
| Urban Population | 0 |
| Rural Population | 0 |
| Official Language | No official language. |
| Commonly Spoken Languages | English
Russian Spanish |
PostGrid's Address Verification Solution
You have learned how to structure the address format for a recipient in Antarctica. However, you need a verified address to ensure your address reaches the intended recipient. The PostGrid Address Verification solution verifies, standardizes, and offers real-time address autocomplete suggestions. Whether you want to verify a single or bulk address, we provide correct, complete, and up-to-date addresses in sync with the official postal service provider for over 245 countries and territories.
Check the Format of More Countries
If you are curious about the format of any other country, visit our global address format page and learn the format followed in countries across the world.
