Norway and six other countries have territorial claims in Antarctica - some of which overlap each other. To avoid conflicts, the question of sovereignty has literally been put on ice through the Antarctic Treaty (1959), which also prohibits military and nuclear activity on the continent. In this way, the Treaty has made Antarctica a continent dedicated to peace and science.

The Norwegian Polar Institute is the environmental administrative authority for Bouvetoya, a small ice-covered island just north of the Antarctic Treaty Area, and for Norwegian activity south of the 60th parallel. The Polar Institute is also Norwegian authorities’ principal advisor with respect to implementation of the Environmental Protocol (1991) - a diplomatic "sunshine story" wherein 26 countries have adopted strict environmental regulations for the continent and have agreed that there will be no mineral exploration on the continent for the next 150 years.