Denoted are the three U.S. year-round research stations; McMurdo Station located on Ross Island,; Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, at the geographic South Pole; and Palmer Station on Anvers Island in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Without interruption since 1956, Americans have been studying the Antarctic and its interactions with the rest of the planet. These investigators and supporting personnel make up the U.S. Antarctic Program. (Courtesy Graphic)