51 Amazing Antarctica Facts We Bet You Didn't Know Before

Among the seven continents on the Earth, Antarctica is the coldest, highest, and windiest continent.

Polar regions, lying in the Polar circles, are frigid zones. While the North Pole is the Arctic, the South Pole is called Antarctica or Antarctic circle, meaning 'anti-Arctic' or 'opposite to the Arctic' or 'opposite to the north.'

Antarctica was said to be the last continent to be discovered on Earth. The discovery of the icy continent was catalyzed when Russian explorers Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen sighted the Fimbul, Antarctica's ice shelf, around the 1820s during the Russian expedition.

Antarctica is an icy land locked up by an inland ice sheet that is approximately 2.8 mi (4.6 km) thick, located concentrically near the South Pole.

Since Antarctica is the home of more than 90% of the world's ice, it is hard to imagine Antarctica as an ice-free island. But, to much surprise, around 40-50 million years ago, Antarctica was as warm as present-day Melbourne, with Antarctica's temperature rising to 62.6 F (17 C).

While you might think that Antarctica is a mere icy desert, the Antarctic ice sheet covers various landscape features like mountains, plains, deserts, and valleys. It also has two known active volcanoes.

Antarctica is the southernmost continent surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

It is situated in the south of the Antarctic circle of the Southern hemisphere. The fifth-largest continent is almost a polar desert with an Antarctica population as low as 5000 individuals in the summer while only 1000 individuals reside during the winter season.

It covers around 5,500,000 sq. mi (14,200,000 sq.

km).

Although Antarctica has no permanent or native human residents, it is home to several species such as Protista, algae, fungi, bacteria, and other plants, and animals like seals, mites, penguins, nematodes, and moss piglets.

Also, over 18 countries are known to operate research stations on the continent by posting over 10,000 scientists or support workers in the Antarctic summer, which lessens to 1000 workers in the winter season.

Countries including the USA, UK, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, South Africa, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, France, Chile, Belgium, Australia, and Argentina signed the Antarctic Treaty. The Antarctic Treaty was signed to ensure scientific research on the continent.

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Where is Antarctica located?

Concentrically located near the South Pole of the Earth, it is the southernmost continent found in the south of the Antarctic circle. It is the fifth-largest continent covered with 90% of the world's ice.

The continent is pear-shaped, with East Antarctica being the larger part, divided by the Transantarctic Mountains chain. While West Antarctica lies completely in the west longitudes, East Antarctica lies approximately in the east longitudes.

West Antarctica is covered with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, whereas East Antarctica is mostly covered in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The continent would have been exceptionally circular, but it is the deep embayment of the Antarctic Peninsula that gives the continent a pear-like shape.

The landscape of Antarctica is pretty mountainous, making it the highest continent with an average elevation height as high as 7500 ft (2300 m). The highest peak of Antarctica is the Vinson Massif that is as high as 16,050 ft (4892 m).

It has several active and extinct volcanoes. One of the two active volcanoes is the southernmost active volcano, Mount Erebus, located on Ross Island.

Yet another active volcano on the continent is on Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands. It also homes one of the world's largest lakes, Lake Vostok.

Struggling to locate Antarctica on the world map? Locate the southernmost continent surrounded by the Southern Polar Ocean. Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa are some of the nearest countries to Antarctica. Also, the Antarctic Peninsula is an out flaring embayment that reaches the southern tip of South America.

Historical Facts About Antarctica

Antarctica was a part of Gondwana, the supercontinent, until it broke apart. When the mass land of the continent was a part of Gondwana, it was not a frozen piece of land and rather had a warm temperature.

When the supercontinent broke off, Antarctica became the southernmost continent. It got separated from South America, forming a passage of water body called the Drake Passage.

The cooling of the continent was a step-wise revolution, covering the continent with thick layers of ice. The temperature of present-day Antarctica drops as low as -128.6 F (-89.2 C).

Several fossils discovered by the researchers also suggested that Antarctica was once covered by a canopy of thick forests. Also, the fossils revealed that the continent was once inhabited by dinosaurs and several other living species. It is also said that the temperature of the continent was once measured up to 62.6 F (17 C).

Antarctica was the last region of the Earth to be discovered. It was first discovered in 1820. Since the continent does not have its own native population, several countries claimed their rights over the new-found continent.

Thus, the countries decided to sign a peaceful resolution, the Antarctic Treaty, in December 1959. Emilio Marco Palma was the first person born in Antarctica in January 1979. Since then, only 10 people have been born on the continent.

Mysterious Facts About Antarctica

Antarctica is not only the coldest or highest continent, it is also the windiest yet driest continent on the planet. It is home to 90% of the world's ice and 70% of the world's freshwater. The midnight sun is yet another fascinating sight of Antarctica.

It is quite challenging to determine the time when in Antarctica. The continent has no time zone. While continents experience six months of summer and six months of winter, Antarctica experiences six months of daylight and another half of the year of winter darkness.

Since Antarctica is the southernmost continent, concentrically around the South Pole, every direction is North! If ever West Antarctica's Ice sheet melts, it can raise the global sea levels by 16 ft (4.8 m).

Although rare life species live in Antarctica, it is yet a home for some of the important species of the ecosystem. While you might not find typical tundra vegetation on the continent, tundra plants like small shrubs, mosses, and grasses are scarcely planted all around the continent. Antarctic wildlife, including whales and seals, are found inhabiting the continent too!

How long can a human live in Antarctica?

Antarctica has been the most silent continent for the past 35 million years. With its discovery in 1820, the icy continent came to light.

Due to inhospitable conditions and weather, Antarctica is the only continent that lacks a native population or permanent residents. Yet it does not mean that life does not exist on the continent!

There are several living species, including Protista, algae, fungi, bacteria, other plants, seals, mites, penguins, nematodes, moss piglets, and several sea birds. Also, several thousands of humans are found living on the continent covered with a massive ice sheet.

While some are temporary workers and scientists at the research stations, others are tourists. The population residing on the continent is considerably more in numbers during the summer while the number of visitors reduces during the winter season.

As many as 5000-10,000 workers are found working in the summer while the number reduces up to 1000. Apart from the scientists and workers, over 45,000 tourists visit each year, some of them to enjoy sea kayaking.

Since surviving on the continent is a challenging task, there are several educational and research institutions, mess halls, medical-support organizations, and dome-styled communal areas and accommodations that can be found to ease the task of living on the frozen land.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Antarctica facts, then why not take a look at facts about Canada or facts about Russia?