Antarctica was the last discovered area on Earth and as such is subject to territorial claims. After 20 years of negotiation and formulation of various proposals to define the legal status and establish a legal regime on Antarctica, the interested countries adopted the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, which unlike treaties of similar legal regimes, such as the freedom of use of the high seas (UNCLOS) and the Outer Space Treaty, does not have a status of universal jurisdiction and therefore represents a unique legal arrangement in international law. In order to preserve the Antarctic environment in its pristine condition and to prevent the exploitation of Antarctica's living and mineral resources, the Treaty was supplemented with other conventions, measures, recommendations and the environmental protection protocol, which comprise the entire Antarctic Treaty System. For more than fifty years, the legal regime governing Antarctica has represented orderliness and exemplary cooperation between the treaty member states. The Treaty defines Antarctica as a territory that is in the interest of all mankind and that may only be used for peaceful purposes. Antarctica does not have the status of an internationalised territory as it is not governed or managed by any single body. Antarctica is the last territory on planet Earth with intact nature, exceptional water reserves and important natural resources; as such, it should be declared an area of special significance to humanity with the status of common heritage of mankind.