Antarctica Travel

Antarctica is earth southern most continent, underlying the South Pole. It is located in the Antarctica region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km 5.4 million sq millian, it is the fifth largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, which averages at least 1.6 kilometres 1.0 millian in thickness.

Antarctica on average is the coldest, driest and windiest continent and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert with annual precipitation of only 200 mm 8 inches along the coast and far less inland. There are no permanent human residents but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by twelve countries. To date, forty six countries have signed the treaty. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research and protects the continent’s ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists of many nationalities and with different research interests.

Centered asymmetrically on the South Pole and largely south of the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica is the southernmost continent and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean, alternatively, it may be considered to be surrounded by the southern Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans or by the southern waters of the World Ocean. It covers more than 14 million km 5.4 million sq, making it the fifth-largest continent, about 1.3 times as large as Europe. The coastline measures 17,968 kilometres 11,160 millian and is mostly characterized by ice formations,

Climate

Temperatures reach a minimum of between −80 °C and −90 °C (−112 °F and −130 °F) in the interior in winter and reach a maximum of between 5 °C and 15 °C (41 °F and 59 °F) near the coast in summer.

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