The American captain Charles Wilkes led an expedition in 1838-1839 and was the first to claim he had discovered the Antarctic continent.
However, it's important to note that his claim was later contested, and the true nature of the continent was not fully understood at that time.

Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica at 4,892 m (16,050 ft), is located in the Ellsworth Mountains.

Roald Amundsen, leading a Norwegian team, won the race to the South Pole.
He successfully reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, beating Robert Falcon Scott's British expedition.

The primary occupation of people living in Antarctica is scientific research.
Most people who live in Antarctica are scientists stationed at national science stations along the coast.
They study various aspects of Antarctica, including weather patterns, animal life, glaciers, and the Earth's atmosphere.

Due to the harsh conditions in Antarctica, only hardy plant forms such as moss, lichen, and algae can survive.
The extreme cold, lack of moisture, limited sunlight, and poor soil make it inhospitable for trees, shrubs, and flowering plants.

The largest neutrino detector in the world, known as the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, is located at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.
This observatory consists of thousands of optical modules embedded in the ice at depths reaching 2,450 meters (8,040 feet).
The detector is used to study neutrinos, subatomic particles that can provide valuable insights into astrophysical phenomena and high-energy cosmic events.

Captain James Cook, during his expeditions, crossed the Antarctic Circle multiple times.
His ships, HMS Resolution and Adventure, crossed the Antarctic Circle on 17 January 1773, in December 1773, and again in January 1774, coming close to the Antarctic coast.

Answer: a) McMurdo Station

Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, along with Mikhail Lazarev, led the First Russian Antarctic Expedition.
They sailed on the ships Vostok and Mirny, reaching a point within 32 km of Queen Maud Land and sighting an ice shelf on 27 January 1820.

Antarctica's status is regulated by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty and other related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System.
These agreements define Antarctica as all land and ice shelves south of 60° S and establish rules and provisions for the governance of the continent.