- Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth.
- It’s the coldest, driest, and windiest continent.
- Antarctica is classified as a desert due to its low annual precipitation.
- It’s the only continent without a native human population.
- There are no countries in Antarctica; it is governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system.
- It’s home to up to 5,000 people in the summer months who work in research stations, but this population drops to just over 1,000 in winter.
- In 1978, Emilio Marcos de Palma became the first person known to be born in Antarctica.
- The South Pole is located in the interior of Antarctica.
- Antarctica is home to around 70 percent of the planet’s fresh water, and 90 percent of the planet’s freshwater ice.
- The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest single mass of ice on Earth.
- The lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at Russia’s Vostok Station in Antarctica: -128.6°F (-89.2°C) on July 21, 1983.
- The continent is home to several active volcanoes, including Mount Erebus, one of the few consistently active volcanoes in the world.
- During the summer, the sun does not set in Antarctica, which means it actually receives more sunlight than the equator during that time period.
- Conversely, during the winter season, the continent is in total darkness.
- Wildlife in Antarctica includes penguins, seals, and various types of birds. There are no land mammals in Antarctica.
- The Southern Ocean, which surrounds Antarctica, is home to several species of whales.
- Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins are the only penguin species that breed during the Antarctic winter.
- Due to the extreme conditions, there are no trees or shrubs, and only a few species of grass and moss can survive in Antarctica.
- Iceberg B-15, the world’s largest recorded iceberg, was calved from the Antarctic ice shelf in the year 2000. It was approximately the size of Jamaica.
- The Antarctic ice is over 2.5 miles (4 km) thick in some areas, and it’s been in existence for at least 40 million years.
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