WAIS Divide

Research station · United States · seasonal

WAIS Divide is a camp run by United States, established in 2005. It sits at 79°29'S 112°05'W, 1,169 km from the South Pole, and is open in the summer season only. At peak it holds 40 people. While it is open it is the nearest human presence to 625,694 km² of ice; in winter that ice falls to whichever station stays open. How far it is from anybody →

Official nameWAIS Divide Camp

OperatorUnited States

TypeCamp

SeasonalitySeasonal

StatusOpen

Established2005

Peak population40 people

Position79°29'S 112°05'W

Decimal-79.4833, -112.0833

Distance to pole1,169 km

Ice it is nearest to625,694 km² · 5th of 103

Nearest stations

Great-circle distance. Antarctic logistics run on proximity — these are the neighbours a station shares weather, flights and emergencies with.

Byrd Surface

United States

159 km

Estacion Polar Cientifica Conjunta Glaciar Union

Nearest penguin colonies

Known breeding sites within reach. Locations only — no counts. Estimating colony size from satellite imagery does not yet work, so this site publishes no abundance figures.

WAIS Divide in Antarctic Polar Stereographic (EPSG:3031). Rings are 60°, 70° and 80°S.

Within 800 km. Orange dots are stations, blue are penguin colonies. North points at the pole.