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Antarctica- Icy wilderness of extremes and wonder
- 1. Antarctica
- 2. Antarctica Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole, is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. Most cruises to the continent visit the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches toward South America. It’s known for the Lemaire Channel and Paradise Harbor, striking, iceberg-flanked passageways, and Port Lockroy, a former British research station turned museum. The peninsula’s isolated terrain also shelters rich wildlife
- 3. What is the Antarctica known for? Antarctica is the world's southernmost continent. It is also the driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. It is the world's highest continent, with an average elevation of about 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level.
- 4. Can people live on Antarctica? Even during the summer period, there are only a few thousand people living in Antarctica. The most populous Antarctic center is McMurdo Station on Ross Island, south of New Zealand. Operated by the United States, this station can accommodate over 1,000 people.
- 5. Temperature The highest temperature ever recorded on Antarctica was 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) recorded at Signy Research Station, Signy Island on 30 January 1982. The highest temperature on the Antarctic mainland was 18.3 °C (64.9 °F) at the Esperanza Base (Argentina) on 6 February 2020. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-ND.
- 6. Countries There are no countries in Antarctica, although seven nations claim different parts of it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina. The Antarctic also includes island territories within the Antarctic Convergence
- 7. Who owns most of Antarctica? Some people wonder who owns most of Antarctica. Well, while nobody owns Antarctica, Australia's claim is the largest, with a 42% share of the entire continent covering a whopping six million square kilometers. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.
- 8. Who Discovered Antarctica? The race to find Antarctica sparked competition to locate the South Pole—and stoked another rivalry. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen found it on December 14, 1911. Just over a month later, Robert Falcon Scott found it, too
- 9. Location Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth- largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2
- 10. Blood Falls • Blood Falls is a five-story-tall blood-red waterfall in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, the only waterfall of its kind on Earth. Unlike a regular waterfall, Blood Falls spurts out red, briny water from the terminus of Taylor Glacier onto the ice-covered surface of Lake Bonney. • Located in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys, the falls pour forth from Taylor Glacier, and the liquid bubbles up from fissures in the glacier's surface. Blood Falls is an outflow of an iron oxide-tainted plume of saltwater, flowing from the tongue of Taylor Glacier onto the ice- covered surface of West Lake Bonney in the Taylor.
- 11. Wildlife Antarctica's wildlife is diverse and unique. It is the only continent on Earth which has no terrestrial mammals, but is home to a range of marine wildlife and birds, including penguins! The most common birds in Antarctica are penguins. It is home to 18 different species, including the Emperor Penguin.
- 12. Endangered Animals Some of the endangered animals of Antarctica are: • Sei Whale • Blue Whale • Fin Whale • Grey-headed Albatross • Abbott's Booby
- 13. Why these animals are endangered • Sei Whale: sei whales became the target, and were not protected until 1978. Their numbers were severely reduced. • Blue Whale: The Blue whale population in Antarctica was drastically reduced by commercial whaling, which started in South Georgia (South Atlantic) in 1904. • Fin Whale: the fin whale was heavily hunted during the twentieth century. 700,000 were killed in the Southern Ocean from 1904, when intensive commercial whaling began, until protection in 1975. • Grey-headed Albatross: The conservation status of grey-headed albatross is of concern as they are caught on long-lines in the Southern Ocean. • Abbott's Booby: Much of the booby's forest habitat has been cleared for the mining of phosphate. The species is also threatened by wind turbulence and marine pollution.
- 14. Fun facts Interesting facts about Antarctica: • Antarctica holds most of the world's fresh water. • Antarctica is home to a ghost mountain range. • Antarctic ice is three miles thick. ... • Earth's deepest point on land is in Antarctica. . • The coldest temperature ever recorded was in Antarctica. ... • Antarctica expands to twice its size in winter. • The South Pole has one sunrise and one sunset a year.
- 15. Questions 1. Which is the highest temperature recorded of Antarctica? 2. Is there any country in Antarctica? 3. Who discovered Antarctica? 4. Where Antarctica is present? 5. Can you tell me any two Endangered animals in Antarctica?