New Swabia

New Swabia is a region of Queen Maud Land explored and claimed by Nazi Germany in 1939. The claim was not internationally recognized.

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German Antarctic Expedition (1938–1939): A German expedition that surveyed part of Antarctica aboard the ship Schwabenland in 1938–1939. Its aerial surveys and landings established the basis for Germany’s claim to New Swabia.
Photogrammetry: The technique of making measurements from photographs, often to map landscapes. The expedition used aerial photographs to produce maps of the region.
Hermann Göring: A Nazi leader who headed Germany’s Four Year Plan and supported the 1938–1939 Antarctic expedition. He helped secure state backing for the expedition’s economic and strategic aims.
Antarctic Treaty System: The framework of agreements governing international cooperation and activity in Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty set aside sovereignty disputes without validating Germany’s claim.
Alfred Ritscher: A German naval officer who led the 1938–1939 German Antarctic Expedition. He directed the expedition that explored and mapped the claimed region.
Aerial survey: The systematic observation and mapping of terrain from aircraft. Survey flights were the expedition’s main method for covering New Swabia.
Adolf Hitler: The dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until 1945. The expedition took place under his regime, which announced Germany’s Antarctic claim.
Antarctic Treaty: A 1959 treaty that reserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and scientific cooperation. Article IV prevents the treaty from strengthening or extinguishing existing sovereignty claims.
Schwabenland: A German catapult ship used for the 1938–1939 German Antarctic Expedition. Its aircraft carried out the aerial surveys that documented New Swabia.
Polar exploration: The exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by land, sea, or air. New Swabia’s exploration belonged to the wider history of Antarctic expeditions.