Which overseas territory is the southernmost British territory?

The British Antarctic Territory is the southernmost British territory. It is a wedge-shaped sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom that extends southward to the South Pole.

The territory lies south of 60°S and between 20°W and 80°W. It is one of the United Kingdom’s 14 British Overseas Territories and is by far the largest by area. Its land, ice shelves, and surrounding waters are governed within the international framework of the Antarctic Treaty System.

There is no permanent native population. British Antarctic Survey staff and other scientists work at research stations, including Rothera Research Station. The United Kingdom’s modern administrative claim developed from earlier Falkland Islands Dependencies and was consolidated during the 20th century.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the Falkland Islands, and Pitcairn are all British territories, but each lies much farther north. The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959 and effective from 1961, preserves Antarctica for peaceful purposes and scientific research.