MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chinese observatory in Antarctica's highest peak

China will set up a new observatory station in Antarctica at the region's highest peak within two years an official from the Polar Research Institute of China announced in Beijing reports the country's news agency Xinhua.

"The 25th Chinese Antarctic expedition starting in October will mainly focus on building a new station on Dome A and further exploration of the Antarctic plateau," said Wu Jinyou, party secretary with the Polar Research. Dome A is an Antarctic plateau 1.200 kilometers inland, and is thought to be one of the coldest naturally occurring places on Earth with temperatures believed to reach minus 90 degrees Celsius. Wu did not specify when construction of the new station would be finished. Earlier reports said the construction was expected to be completed by January next year, but the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA), affiliated to the State Oceanic Administration, said on its website that the construction might well last through 2010. Once completed it will be China's first inland Antarctic research station. Six countries, United States, Russia, Japan, France, Italy and Germany, have already built inland research stations in the Antarctica. China has so far built two research stations in Antarctica. The Great-Wall Station, founded in February 1985, is located south of King George Island, and Zhongshan Station, built in February 1989 is located south of Prydz Bay on the Mirror Peninsula, eastern of Larsemann Hills. Dictionary of Falklands Biography