Geography

Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent (14.4 million km2 / 5.4 million square miles) and is situated mostly south of the Antarctic Circle, being the southernmost place on Earth.

Antarctica is surrounded by the southern Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The continent is divided by the Transantarctic Mountains: the portion west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called Western Antarctica, the remainder is Eastern Antarctica.

About 98% of Antarctica is covered by a continental ice sheet of at least around 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) in thickness. The continent has about 90% of the world's ice. There is land underneath the ice cover, unlike the Arctic where ice floats on top of the ocean.

Vinson Massif is the highest peak in Antarctica at 4,892 meters (16,050 ft). Antarctica is also home to many volcanoes, but only Mount Erebus is known to be active.

All time zones converge into the South Pole, so “what time is it?” can be a tricky question in Antarctica. People in Antarctica use New Zealand’s as the official time.

Antarctica is so hostile and remote that it has no indigenous or permanent inhabitants, but a number of countries maintain permanent research stations throughout the continent. People conducting and supporting scientific research varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 4,000 in summer

 

History

The name Antarctica comes from the Greek word Aνταρκτική (Αntarktiké), meaning "Opposite of the Arctic". The continent was spoken of in mythical terms as terra Australia Incognita – the Unknown Southern Land – since ancient times. Most of what is known about Antarctica has been discovered in the present century. Below is a brief history of explorations:

• It is generally agreed that the first confirmed sighting of the continent occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen.
• In the late 17th century, after explorers had found that South America and Australia were not part of Antarctica, geographers still believed that the continent was much larger than its actual size.
• Antarctica was circumnavigated by James Cook in the 18th century, but he never actually saw it!
• In 1841, explorer James Clark Ross passed through what is now known as the Ross Sea and discovered Ross Island. He sailed along a huge wall of ice that was later named the Ross Ice Shelf. Mount Erebus and Mount Terror are named after two ships from his expedition.
• During an expedition led by Ernest Shackleton in 1907, a team led by T. W. Edgeworth David became the first to climb Mount Erebus and to reach the South Magnetic Pole.
• Richard Evelyn Byrd led several trips to the Antarctic by plane in the 1930s and 1940s.

Climate

On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth, and has the highest average elevation of all continents (between 2000 and 4000 meters). Here scientists recorded Earth's lowest temperature: −89 °C (−129 °F). The average temperature is -49°C. Because of the low air temperature, it rarely rains in the interior of the continent.
For 6 months the sun shines 24h a day, while the 6 months after are in total darkness. During the summer months sunburn is a serious health issue because the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light. Winds reach up to 200mph along the coast, blowing at storm force.  

Antarctica is colder than the Arctic because:

• Has a higher elevation, and temperature decreases with elevation;
• It’s a continent surrounded by an ocean, and the interior areas do not benefit from the ocean’s relative warmth;
• A surface of 98% of snow and ice reflects most of the sun’s light instead of absorbing it.

Solar winds that pass by the Earth near the South Pole create a distinctive and amazing glow in the night sky, known as aurora australis (a.k.a.southern lights). Another unique spectacle is diamond dust, a ground-level cloud composed of tiny ice crystals. A sun dog, a frequent optical phenomenon, is a bright "spot" beside the true sun.

 

 

Flora

The climate of Antarctica does not allow for much vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures, poor soil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of sunlight inhibit the flourishing of plants. The flora of the continent largely consists of lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi. Growth generally occurs in the summer, and only for a few weeks.

Plant and animal fossils and coal beds indicate the place was once warm though. Antarctica was once part of a larger land mass near the equator and gradually moved southward. What is now the Antarctic was once attached to India, Africa, Australia, and South America! This land mass, Gondwanaland, began breaking apart about 180 million years ago. 

 

Fauna

Only well adapted plants and animals survive here, including penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae. Land fauna is nearly completely invertebrate.

Antarctic sea life includes penguins, blue whales, orcas and fur seals. The Emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adélie Penguin breeds farther south than any other penguin. The Rockhopper penguins, King penguins, Chinstrap penguins, and Gentoo penguins also breed in the Antarctic.

Politics & Economy

Antarctica has no government and belongs to no country. Various countries claim areas of it, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the UK. Since 1959, new claims have been suspended and the continent is considered politically neutral. Its status is regulated by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, signed by twelve countries. Antarctica is therefore the most peaceful place on Earth, and no wars have been fought there.

Tourists and scientists do not need a passport, visa or anyone’s permission to visit Antarctica. It’s an area truly dedicated to free scientific research and environmental protection, and military activity has been banned on the whole continent. 

Coal, hydrocarbons, iron ore, platinum, copper, chromium, nickel, gold and other minerals have been found, but not in large enough quantities to exploit. In 1998, a compromise agreement was reached to place an indefinite ban on mining, to be reviewed in 2048. The primary agricultural activity is the capture and offshore trading of fish.

Research & Environment

Each year, scientists from 27 different nations conduct experiments not reproducible in any other place in the world. Researchers include biologists, geologists, oceanographers, physicists, astronomers, glaciologists, and meteorologists.
Since the 1970s, an important focus of study has been the ozone layer in the atmosphere above Antarctica. In 1985, three British Scientists discovered the existence of a hole in this layer. In 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million km² (10 million sq mi). With the ban of CFCs in 1989, it is believed that the ozone hole will close up over the next fifty years.

Meteorites from Antarctica are also an important area of study. The first meteorites were found in 1912. Most are thought to come from asteroids, but some may have originated on larger planets, having fallen onto the ice sheet in the last million years. Compared with meteorites collected in other regions on Earth, the Antarctic meteorites are very well-preserved.

 

For more information on Antarctica, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica