Okay. So the Antarctic Treaty is basically talking about how Antarctica can never truly belong to anyone. It is a piece of land that isn't owned by anyone -- it's a completely independent area. The treaty, in essence, states that the land can only be used for peaceful research purposes, and that it has to be treated right. (Countries aren't able to come in and dump nuclear waste in Antarctica.)
This treaty was really cool when it first came about, because it was one of the first times that all of these countries came together and agreed to do something strictly in the name of peace and science.
If I had to choose one of the most important articles of the treaty I would choose article 3, which states that all scientific research that is made in Antarctica is meant to be shared freely and openly with other countries. Without this article, you can see Antarctica as another kind of battleground entirely. People may not be shooting at a each other, but they're still competing in the same land for knowledge that they don't intend to share. With this article, that doesn't happen. All research is conducted for the sake of learning, not for the sake of gaining an upper hand on another country. This article makes it to where no one ever has any reason to be underhanded or secretive about what happens in Antarctica.
