Concordia Station

A French–Italian station 3,233 m up on the Antarctic plateau: two drum-shaped buildings joined by a walkway.

It is famous for being one of the loneliest places where people live all year. It is only the third permanent, year-round station on the plateau, after Vostok and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The nearest coast station, Dumont d'Urville, is 1,100 km away, and the South Pole is 1,670 km away.

How it began

The first research at Dome C started in 1978, and the French first thought of a permanent base in 1982. France built a new station on the plateau in 1992, and Italy joined in 1993. A summer camp was set up in 1996 to support the EPICA ice-core project and to build the base. Summer campaigns began in December 1997, and the first winter crew, 13 people, began in February 2005.

Life at the end of the world

During winter the station cannot be reached, so the crew must be completely self-sufficient. Most cargo arrives by a 1,200 km overland traverse, called a raid, from Dumont d'Urville, taking 7 to 12 days. People and light cargo arrive by Twin Otter or Basler aircraft. Almost no animals or plants live this far from the sea, though skuas have been seen flying over. Winter air can drop below -80 degrees Celsius.

On the globe

The toy model shows two drum-shaped buildings joined by a walkway on the white plateau.