2 Rand Antarctica - Race to the South Pole

The "Race to the South Pole" framing refers to the 1911–12 contest between Roald Amundsen's Norwegian expedition and Robert Falcon Scott's British Terra Nova team — Amundsen reaching the pole on December 14, 1911, Scott arriving 34 days later to find the Norwegian flag already planted. Scott and all four of his polar party died on the return journey. South Africa's connection to Antarctic commemoration runs through its sub-Antarctic territories, including the Prince Edward Islands, which fall under South African jurisdiction and house a meteorological station continuously staffed since 1948.