Emilio Palma Argentine citizen Date of Birth: 07.01.1978 Country: Argentina

Biography of Emilio Palma

Emilio Palma, an Argentine citizen, was the first person born on the continent of Antarctica. He was born in Fortín Sargento Cabral at the Esperanza Base near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. His father, Captain Jorge Emilio Palma, was the head of the Argentine army detachment at the base.

At the time of his birth, Emilio weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces (3.4 kg). Since then, 10 more people have been born in Antarctica, but Palma's birthplace remains the southernmost. In late 1977, during her seventh month of pregnancy, Emilio's mother, Maria Silvia de Palma, was transported to the Esperanza Base to give birth. The airlift was part of Argentina's efforts to assert sovereignty over the so-called Argentine Antarctica.

As both of his parents were Argentine citizens and he was born on the territory of the Argentine Antarctica, Emilio automatically obtained Argentine citizenship. He could also be eligible for British citizenship, as the location of the base falls within the claimed territory of the British Antarctic Territory. However, neither he nor his parents pursued such a claim. Emilio is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person in history to be born on the continent of Antarctica.

It should be noted that some sources also mention Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen from Norway, who was born on the territory of South Georgia Island in 1913, as the first child born in Antarctica. However, this territory is considered part of Antarctica only in certain cases.