Everything south of 60°S is considered the Antarctic. This means that the Antarctic consists not just of the continent, but also the surrounding islands, seas, and ice shelves. No people live in Antarctica, although researchers and tourists do visit for some or all of the year. Because Antarctica was isolated from the surrounding land­ masses for many millions of years, it has large areas of untouched natural environment. Preserving the region and its unique environment is also valuable from a research standpoint.