Santa

Does the American Government still have people stationed at the North Pole?

That would be funny if some of them were answering the mail for Santa Claus? What about the South Pole do we have a base there too. What do they do at those locations. I would think they need to get out of there after a month.

Public Comments

1. There are elves stationed at the north pole and penguins stationed at the south pole.
2. Sorry. No personnel are stationed at the North Pole. The South Pole is a different matter. Many governments have permanent parties stationed down south. Many years ago, international treaty designated the continent of Antarctica as an international scientific preserve. Some nations make territorial claims to parts of the continent; but none are recognized in international law. Scientists do many things down there. They monitor the levels of polutants in the air to see how levels of various gases like carbon dioxide are affecting weather. They keep close tabs on the ozone layer to see if it is shrinking or growing. They perform geological studies of the Ice caps, to get a picture of how temperatures on earth have fluctuated over the eons. The Antarctic is also a proving ground for government (Generally military) clothing and machinery designed for cold weather usage. Scientific teams generally spend as much as six months to a year living there. They're supplied with about six months of food and supplies to get them through the winter months when conventional transportaion is impossible; and then they're resupplied in the Summer. Right now it's the beginning of Summer down there, so the researchers will have sunlight 24 hours a day. The sun won't set again till late February. Hope this answers your question.
3. Unfortunately for the United States, they haven't been able to conquer the North Pole yet as we (Canada) have been keeping it to ourselves. Canada occupies the military base ALERT, which is the northernmost human settlement in the world (approximately 500 miles from the North Pole). The original purpose of the base was twofold: the first was to assert Canadian sovereignty in the area, the second was to act as an early warning for incoming Russian missiles across the North Pole. ALERT is located at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in the territory of Nunavut. Hope this helps! Good luck!