Yes, you can technically call Antarctica—and when you do, you'll dial +672. Despite having no permanent residents, the frozen continent has its own international calling code assigned by the International Telecommunication Union, just like any other country.

The +672 code primarily serves research stations in the Australian Antarctic Territory, including Casey Station, Davis Station, Mawson Station, and Macquarie Island Station, plus New Zealand's Scott Base. These are among the few Antarctic facilities with direct-dial telephone connections to the outside world.

How Calling Antarctica Actually Works

Calling a researcher in Antarctica isn't quite like calling your cousin in Canada. To reach an Australian Antarctic station from the U.S., you'd dial 011 (exit code), then 672 (Antarctica's code), then a station-specific area code (10 for Davis, 11 for Mawson, 12 for Casey, 13 for Macquarie Island), followed by a four-digit extension.

The entire system runs on satellite technology—no undersea cables reach Antarctica. The Australian Antarctic Division operates ANARESAT, a satellite network connecting all its stations. The telephony infrastructure uses the open-source Asterisk platform and Cisco IP phones, essentially creating a remote office phone system in one of Earth's harshest environments.

Why Antarctica Needs Phone Numbers

Thousands of scientists and support staff work at Antarctic research stations each year, conducting studies on everything from climate change to astrophysics. They need reliable communication for:

Emergency coordination between stations and rescue services
Research collaboration with institutions worldwide
Personal calls to maintain mental health during long, isolated deployments
Logistics for supply ships and aircraft operations

Before modern satellite systems, Antarctic communication relied on shortwave radio. The first direct-dial connections to Antarctic stations only became possible in recent decades, transforming life for researchers who previously went months with limited contact.

The Oddest Area Code on Earth

Antarctica isn't the only unusual entry in the international dialing system—the +672 code is also assigned to Norfolk Island and the Australian territory of Christmas Island. But Antarctica remains the only continent with its own code, making it perhaps the most exclusive area code in existence. After all, you can't just move there to get a cool phone number—you need a research contract and the ability to survive temperatures that regularly drop below -40°F.

So next time someone asks if Antarctica is really part of the connected world, you can confirm: yes, it has an area code. It's just that nobody lives there permanently to answer the phone.

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