China opens 4th Antarctic research base
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E-mail Xinhua, February 9, 2014
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| Taishan station, China's 4th Antarctic research base, is opened on Saturday, according to the State Oceanic Administration. [Xinhua photo] |
China has opened a fourth Antarctic research base, boosting the country's ambition to build itself into a maritime power, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said on Saturday.
Taishan station is 76 degrees 58 minutes east longitude and 73 degrees 51 minutes south latitude on the East Antarctic inland ice sheet at an altitude of 2,621 meters.
The site is between Zhongshan and Kunlun stations, which were previously built by the Chinese. The yearly average temperature there is about minus 36.6 degrees Celsius.
Taishan station, which measures 1,000 square meters with its main building 410 square meters, is one of seven international inland research stations on the continent.
President Xi Jinping congratulated on the research base in a letter, saying that scientific research in the Antarctica is important for the exploration of nature and development of mankind.
Xi noted that the base will not only be a platform for China's scientific research but also for exchanges with scientists from other countries.
Qu Tanzhou, head of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration under the SOA, said that Taishan's circular structure will help prevent an the accumulation of snow around the station during winter when gales are common in inland areas on the continent.
It can accommodate up to 20 people during the Antarctic summer and is equipped with a runway for fixed-wing aircraft, specially designed for taking off on snow and ice.
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