1. Antarctica is the highest coldest and, driest continent on Earth. In fact, snow rarely melts there and, during winter, the average gives children plenty of fun time playing in the snow. The continent is mostly covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, which can get up to 4.8km thick in parts.
2. Although the sun shines 24 hours a day during summer in Antarctica, the temperature usually remains far below zero. For example, The coldest temperature ever recorded was -89°C.
3. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on Earth, measuring around 14 million sq km but due to its polar environment, only two percent of the continent is ice-free.
4. The South Pole is located in Antarctica and it is one of the two points that divide Earth in two. It is home to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
5. Antarctica is mostly uninhabited since it is extremely cold and far away from civilization. A few nations have research stations in some coastal areas of the continent for scientific purposes.
6. Approximately 95% of Antarctica is covered by permanent ice. This means that there are no trees, plants, or natural vegetation. The animals that live there are mostly sea creatures like penguins and seals, with only a few terrestrial species such as the lichen-eating mites.
7. Antarctica is home to the world’s largest natural reserve, the Ross Sea, which was established in 2016. The reserve covers over 1.6 million square kilometers and is the home of whales, penguins, and other sea life.
8. Antarctica is one of the most important continental landmasses in regards to global climate control. In fact, the ice from the continent can hold around 70% of the Earth’s fresh water.
9. As temperatures in Antarctica decrease seasonally, the snow and ice form what is known as seasonal glaciers. These move slowly over the ground, pushing in front of them great masses of rock and soil that appear much like bulldozers. This force of so much slow-moving ice causes all the landforms we see today.
10. Antarctica produces 90 percent of the world’s icebergs. These can be found from the size of small chunks of ice to the size of entire islands. As the icebergs melt, they fill rivers and lakes, providing fresh drinking water to the sea creatures that live there.
