Region around the south pole (9)
I believe the answer is:
antarctic
'region around the south pole' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for antarctic that I've seen before include "Relating to S. Pole region" , "Relating to south polar region" , "Of far southern regions" , "near the south pole" , "Continent?" .)