2. Antarctic Almanac
Antarctica – the coldest, driest, windiest place on Earth. This amazing and vast land of ice is full of much wonder and discovery. To learn more, read on.
Select entry
- Animals
- Atmosphere
- Geography
- Icebergs and ice
- People
- Government
- Weather and Climate
- History
- Tourism
- Research Stations
Animals
A herd of sea lions in Antarctica
Antarctica hosts an abundant array of animal life, despite its ice-covered terrain and barren plant life. There are lots of amazing wildlife living in the waters around Antarctica.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere around Antarctica is not a closed system. It interacts with the land, ice and the ocean and the ice in turn interacts with the ocean. The continual cycle of freezing and melting of the ice around Antarctica creates a constant circulation around the ocean.
Geography
Antarctica is the ice continent located over the South Pole. The continent of Antarctica is a land mass covered with ice up to 14,000 feet thick. The highest point in Antarctica is 16,006 feet, just over 3 miles high. The earth's largest desert is found here. Antarctica is also home to an active volcano, Mt. Erebus which stands at 12,447 feet high.
Icebergs and ice
Icebergs of the Antarctic Ocean
Did you know the continent of Antactica contains 70% of the world's fresh water (90% of the world's ice)? If it were divided up, every person on Earth could have a chunk of ice larger than the Great Pyramid!
People
29 nations send scientists to Antarctica
Antarctica is mostly inhabited by scientists living and working at various science and exploration stations. Life at these science stations varies from living in primitive huts to stations with many modern conveniences such as private rooms, showers and recreational facilities. Antarctica is one of the most peaceful places on earth since almost everyone living and working there are dedicated to science, and acting on land claims and mining are not allowed.
Government
Official flag of the Antarctic continent
Who governs Antarctica? The continent of Antarctica is governed by a 46-nation treaty called the The Antarctic Treaty designed to secure the scientific research of all nations (link to copy of treaty).
Weather and Climate
Weather forecast:
Current weather conditions (webcams):
-
Australian antarctic division.
contiue to: Mawson Station
-
Britis antarctic division.
contiue to: Halley Station
-
Australian antarctic division.
contiue to: Davis Station
History
Norwegian expedition discovering the most remote regions of Antarctica
Back in the Jurassic era, Antarctica was once part of a larger land mass called Gondwanaland. This supercontinent included Antarctica, India, Africa, Australia, and South America. This land mass began breaking apart about 180 million years ago. Antarctica, which was once very close to the equator, drifted southward
1773 Exploration begins with James Cook crossing the Antarctic circle. Capt. Thaddeus Ellinhausein from Russia followed. Williams Smith and Edward Bransfeild from England are considered the first to set eyes on Antarctica. Many more explorers followed.
Tourism
Did you know that you don't need a passport, visa or any government's permission to visit Antarctica?
Tourism to the Antarctic started in the 1960s and there has been significant growth since then. There is great debate over tourism, while tourism brings many individuals to discover this vast important continent, tourism also brings threats to the environment because of the disturbance to wildlife, vegetations and pollution.
Tourist Data from IAATO
Fun Facts
Did you know, that...
- Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth.
- It is a vast barren land mass that is almost completely covered in ice.
- It is about one and a half times the size of the United States.
- What time is it? Since in Antarctica all time zones converge, people living on Antarctica officially follow New Zealand time.
Antarctic Live
Learn more
- Antarctica Fact File
- Fascinating facts about Antarctica
- Station Times
- The Antarctic Sun Info
Description:
The Antarctic Sun is the official news web site for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), which is managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Polar Programs. Raytheon Polar Services Company (RPSC) is contracted by the NSF to support the USAP, and maintains the Sun web site as a resource for information about the program and its people.
- Antarctica in short
- The land under the ice
Interesting Facts:
-
Krill can go for up to
200
days
without eating
-
29
number of
nations
that send scientists to conduct experiments in Antarctica -
10
number of years krill can
live -
Antarctica is
1.5 times the size
of the
United States -
There
are no native land
mammals
in
Antarctica -
2,000,000
estimated
tons of krill
in a swarm -
Krill is more than
twice
the total weight of all humans
on earth -
If
Antarctica
melted,
the sea level could rise
200 feet
worldwide -
98%
of Antarctica is covered by fresh water ice -
90%
the world's
ice
is in Antarctica -
0
number of
govern-
mentsthat rule Antarctica
-
10
Number of
human babies
born in Antarctica
-
Winter
temperature
can
drop
as low as
-20F -
2½
the size, in inches, of the
average
krill -
1,000
Average Antarctic human population
in
the winter
-
47
number of
countries
who have signed the Antarctic Treaty -
0
Number of
permanent
residents
in Antarctica
-
10,000
number of
eggs
a female krill lays at one time -
4,000
Average Antarctic human population
in
summer
-
Antarctica
is the driest
continent
on Earth
(less than 2 inches of rain per year) -
2
inches of precipitation fall in Antarctica
each year
on average -
70%
of world's fresh water
is
frozen -
Summer
has
only
reached
maximum of 58F