Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 May 2007
Concordia has been the third permanent station inland the Antarctic continent since February 2005. It was built jointly by France and Italy in order to offer to the scientific community a platform for research on the antarctic plateau, high in altitude. After the very successful drilling programme EPICA at Dome C, an European project gathering 10 countries and offering the oldest accurate climate archive, many other field of science will benefit from the exceptional properties of the site, namely astronomical researches. This paper provides information on these properties and on the current facilities in terms of building and transport. In addition, it points out the environmental protection and waste management in force at Concordia, in agreement with the Antarctic Treaty and Madrid Protocol.