Humans may, and do, visit Antarctica, despite social media claim

A recent Instagram post that alludes to a debunked flat Earth conspiracy theory claims that "no human is allowed to travel to Antarctica." 

"It looks like they have a whole civilization over there," said the July 14 post, which included an image of what looks like the town on the other side of an ice wall. 

"Leaked footage of beyond the ice wall!!" reads text above the image.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Antarctica is the only continent without a native human population and no permanent human habitation, but that doesn’t mean humans aren’t allowed to travel there. There are permanent human settlements and research stations where scientists live on a rotating basis. 

Antarctica has also become a tourist destination, attracting cruise lines and vacationers. This summer, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, more than 100,000 tourists will visit. The Guardian reported that ships carrying fewer than 500 passengers can make landings.   

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We searched for the origin of the image of supposedly "leaked footage of beyond the ice wall" in the Instagram post, and couldn’t find anything definitive. But it doesn’t show a hidden civilization in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica consists  of glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs, and it’s too cold for people to live there for a long time, according to NASA.

McMurdo Station, established in 1955, is the largest research station in Antarctica. But its approximately 85 buildings, which range in size from a small radio shack to large three-story structures, don’t resemble what appears in the photo in the post.

People aren’t banned from the continent. We rate that claim Pants on Fire!