Antarctica (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about Antarctica, its climate, relief, fauna and other characteristics. Also, countries based in Antarctica.

antarctica ice — 98% of Antarctica's territory is covered in ice.

What is Antarctica?

Antarctica (or Antarctica in some countries) It is the fourth largest continent in the world and the southernmost (south) of all. In fact, towards the center of its territory is the south pole of planet Earth. Its territory is almost entirely (98%) covered by ice that reaches 1.9 km thick.

Since we are talking about the coldest, driest and windiest place on the planet, ordinary life in Antarctica is almost impossible, which is why it has no native population. It is only inhabited by the different scientific observation missions that have bases in its territory (around 1000 to 5000 people throughout the year), generally located on the Antarctic plateau.

Besides, It is the most recently discovered continent of everyone. It was first observed by the Spanish navigator Gabriel de Castilla (c. 1577- c. 1620) during the southern summer of 1603. It was only explored at the end of the 19th century, when The first Norwegian team landed on its shores in 1895.

Its name, however, does come from classical antiquity: it was used for the first time by the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) around the year 350 BC. C. in his book Meteorologyto name those regions “opposite to the north” (hence its name, coming from the Greek antarktikos“opposite to the arctic”).

Features of Antarctica

Antarctica is characterized by the following:

The surface of the continent is greater than that of Oceania or Europe, being the fourth largest continent in the world, with a total area of 14,000,000 square kilometers of which only 280,000 are ice-free during the summer and 17,968 are coastal.
A large group of islands are part of its territory the largest being Alexander I Island (49,070 km²), Berkner Island (43,873 km²), Thurston Island (15,700 km²) and Carney Island (8,500 km²).
There is no indigenous human population in Antarctica, neither countries nor territorial divisions, although seven different countries have territorial claims on it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Argentina and Chile.
The Antarctic territory is governed by the Antarctic Treaty in force since 1961, and which prevents military presence of any kind, mineral extraction, the detonation of atomic bombs and the disposal of radioactive material, as well as other measures to support scientific research and protection of the ecozone.
It has numerous subglacial freshwater deposits such as Onyx (32 km long) or Lake Vostok (14,000 km²of surface). Furthermore, the region contains 90% of the planet's ice and, contained there, 70% of the world's fresh water.

Location of Antarctica

antarctica location — Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

Antarctica is located in the southernmost region of the planet, around the geographic south pole and within the Antarctic Circle below the Antarctic Convergence, that is, below 55 and 58° south latitude. It is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean, neighboring the Pacific and South Atlantic oceans, and also the Indian Ocean, and is separated from the southern tip of South America (the Argentine island of Ushuaia) by just 1,000 km.

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Antarctic climate

antarctica temperature — The lowest temperature on the planet was recorded in Antarctica: -89.2 °C

Antarctica It has the coldest climate of all the continents. Its lowest historical temperature is also the lowest temperature recorded on the entire planet (-89.2 °C), and its eastern region is considerably colder than its western region, given its higher altitude.

Its minimum annual temperatures are usually around -80 °C in winter and in the interior of the continent, while its annual maximums approach 0 °C in summer and on the coasts.

Besides, It is the driest place on the planet in which liquid water is scarce. In its internal region, humid winds are rare, so it is dry like a frozen desert, while in its coastal region these winds are abundant and intense, which encourages snowfall.

Antarctic relief

The geological history of Antarctica began about 25 million years ago with the gradual breakup of the supercontinent of Gondwana. During some stages of its early life it experienced a more northern location and a tropical or temperate climate, before the Pleistocene Ice Age that covered the continent and wiped out its flora and fauna.

The western region of the continent resembles the Andes Mountains geologically, but these are the lower and coastal regions, where some life is possible. Instead, The eastern region is at a higher altitude, presenting a polar plateau in its central region known as the Antarctic Plateau or the geographical South Pole.

This elevation extends for more than 1000 km to the east, and is on average about 3,000 meters above sea level. Its highest point is Dome A, which reaches 4093 meters above sea level.

Antarctica fauna

antarctica marine fauna — Most of the living beings in Antarctica are aquatic.

The fauna in Antarctica is scarce, especially as far as terrestrial vertebrates are concerned, since they prefer the sub-Antarctic islands, with a less hostile climate. on the continent it is possible to find invertebrate life such as tardigrades, lice, nematodes, krill and various microorganisms.

The greatest sources of life in the region are found in the low and coastal areas and consist of aquatic life: blue whales, killer whales, squid or pinnipeds (such as seals or sea lions). There are also various species of penguins, among which the emperor penguin, the king penguin, and the rockhopper penguin stand out.

Countries based in Antarctica

Most of the signatory countries of the Antarctic Treaty have scientific research bases on the continent. Some are permanent, with rotating staff, and others are seasonal or summer, when temperatures and weather are less cruel. The number of bases can vary depending on the year, and can reach 40 bases in 20 different countries (in 2014).

Most of the summer bases belong to Germany, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, South Korea, USA, France, India, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Ukraine, Uruguay , Bulgaria, Spain, Ecuador, Finland, Sweden, Pakistan, Peru. And during the harsh winter, winter bases from Germany (1), Argentina (7) and Chile (11) remain in Antarctica.

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