I see and remote the continent of
Antarctica is the coldest driest
windiest and southernmost place on earth
it is located almost entirely below the
Antarctic Circle and is surrounded by
the frigid southern ocean as a continent
Antarctica is a large expanse of land it
is the Earth's fifth largest continent
larger than Europe and nearly twice as
large as Australia about 98% of
Antarctica is covered in sheets of ice
that average more than a mile or nearly
two kilometers in thickness compared to
other continents Antarctica was only
recently discovered although the
existence of a huge southern continent
was rumored for thousands of years
Antarctica was not seen by humans until
the 19th century it was believed to be
first sighted in 1820 but the first
confirmed landing was not until 1895
this is because Antarctica was so cold
and unwelcoming that there was little
interest in exploring it mapmakers
called the new continent Antarctica from
a Greek word meaning the opposite of the
Arctic or North
although it is so cold Antarctica is a
desert with very little rain or snow
what snow there is
accumulates and build up into massive
sheets of ice this ice takes different
forms including glaciers ice shelves and
icebergs
because of the thick sheets of ice
covering the continent Antarctica has
the highest average elevation of any
continent in the world there are only
two seasons in Antarctica summer and
winter because Antarctica is located at
the Earth's South Pole each summer
brings long periods of sunlight and
winter brings long periods of darkness
during the summer the Sun remains in the
sky longer and longer each day until mid
summer we're near the South Pole the Sun
stays up for 24 hours a day during the
winter it is dark for longer and longer
each day until mid winter when there are
some days that the Sun does not rise at
all Antarctica has no trees or bushes
only moss and lichens and algae can
survive in such a cold climate very few
animals survive in the frozen desert
event Arctica either if you were to
visit Antarctica you would likely see
only penguins some other seabirds and
seals
more animal species are found in the
waters around Antarctica fish and whales
as well as squid mollusks and other
invertebrates
today Antarctica is not a country and
has no government it does not belong to
any country although parts of the
continent are claimed by several
countries Antarctica is the only
continent to have a population of zero
although anywhere between one to five
thousand people visit each year no one
lives there permanently
aside from tourists who only visit
during the summer most activity on
Antarctica is scientific the frozen
continent is protected by an
international treaty that prohibits
military activity or mining setting it
aside as a natural reserve devoted to
peace and science I hope you enjoy
learning about Antarctica today goodbye
till next time
you
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