Interesting facts about the mainland Antarctica - this is almost all the information about it. Almost two centuries have passed since the discovery of the sixth continent in 1820 by Russian navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev. From year to year, something new becomes known about the icy continent, and most often it is so different from the usual for the layman that it immediately gets into the lists with the heading “Antarctica: Interesting Facts, finds, discoveries. The list below contains information about the sixth continent of a very different nature, capable of showing how unique the southern land is.
International agreements
You can start with the fact that Antarctica is the only continent on the planet that does not belong in whole or in part to any of the countries. In 1959, an appropriate agreement was concluded, which froze on long time any territorial claims. A zone free from hostilities intended for international scientific research That's what Antarctica is. Interesting facts about its position on the world stage are also the existence of its own flag on the sixth continent against the background of the absence of statehood and any institutions of power and citizenship.
Today, over forty year-round polar stations operate on the icy continent, five of which belong to Russia. At the same time, expeditions and research are often international in nature.
Antarctica: interesting facts about climatic conditions
During the summer months, the number of polar explorers working on the sixth continent reaches 5,000. In winter, it is reduced to 1,000. All researchers face harsh conditions. The temperature in the vast majority of the territory does not rise above -20 º. The South Pole of Cold is located in Antarctica in the area of the Russian Vostok station. Here, in 1983, a temperature of -89.2 ºС was recorded.
In addition to the extreme cold, in the vastness of the sixth continent, polar explorers are faced with the extraordinary dryness of the air, which Antarctica is famous for. Interesting facts are the ratio of the amount of water contained in the ice cap of the mainland (70% of the planet) and low humidity in the atmosphere. Only 10 cm of precipitation falls here annually. The so-called McMurdo dry valleys have been discovered on the continent. They are spread over an area of 8 thousand kilometers. The peculiarity of the valleys is that they are almost completely free of ice due to the very strong winds blowing here. Their speed, according to researchers, reaches 320 km / h. Some of the valleys have not received rainfall for two million years.
reservoirs
Antarctica is a place of contrasts. Despite such dry air and low temperatures, rivers can be found in its expanses. The name of one of them is Onyx. It flows for only two summer months and then freezes. Onyx directs its waters to Lake Vanda, which is located in one of the dry valleys (and again a contrast!).
Lists titled "10 Interesting Facts About Antarctica" often include reports of a subglacial reservoir found near Vostok station. This lake attracts the attention of many scientists today, and the most diverse branches of knowledge. However, this is a topic for a separate article. In addition to this reservoir, more than 140 subglacial lakes have been discovered on the territory of the sixth continent.
Antarctica: fish
The impact of the climate, of course, is felt not only by polar explorers, but also by all living organisms that exist in these conditions. An example of an amazing adaptation to a harsh climate is white blood fish. Their blood does not contain red blood cells and, accordingly, hemoglobin, so it does not have a characteristic red color. The assimilation of oxygen occurs according to a slightly different pattern than in the relatives of the "ice" fish. The life-giving gas dissolves directly into the blood. On the sixth continent, there are other types of fish. All of them have a substance in their blood that is similar in its properties to car antifreeze: it does not allow the liquid to freeze even at the most extreme temperatures.
And these are not all the wonders that Antarctica has prepared for man. Interesting facts for children often contain a mention of another type of fish. A relative of the cod we are used to, it has a unique ability to hibernate for a very long period. It can be in a state of suspended animation for up to six months, during the polar night.
Black and white pretty people
What can not boast of Antarctica? Fun facts for kids collected by teachers or parents also often include this point: there are no polar bears on the continent. It's too cold for them here. On the sixth continent, in general, there are no completely land animals.
The most popular representatives of the fauna of Antarctica are penguins. Only two species live directly on the mainland. These are the Adélie penguins and the famous emperor penguins. The latter are found only on the icy continent. They differ from their brethren in their large size and "habit" to breed during the polar night.
Two more species (antarctic and subantarctic penguins) nest only on the Antarctic Peninsula, a part of the mainland that protrudes strongly into the ocean, and therefore is characterized by milder climatic conditions.
Insects
Antarctica includes information not only about mammals and birds. There are also insects here. There are no winged representatives of the class on the sixth continent: it is hardly possible to fly in conditions of such hurricane winds. The largest insects, and at the same time the land "inhabitants" of the continent, are considered ringing mosquitoes Belgica antarctica (they feed on microorganisms, they are indifferent to blood). These midges are not found anywhere else on Earth. They live mainly on the Antarctic Peninsula.
finds
The fauna of the sixth continent has been interesting in all eras. Few people today do not know that once Antarctica was covered with forests. In those distant times, it was inhabited by dinosaurs. Finds confirming this have been repeatedly discovered in different areas of the mainland. In the 90s of the last century, a group of American paleontologists found almost a whole in. After extracting and studying it, it turned out that the bones belong to a predatory lizard, later called Cryolophosaurus.
Similar skeletons have not been found in other parts of the world before. Presumably Cryolophosaurus is the ancestor of a whole branch of pangolins called tetanurs, the remains of which have been found on different continents. Apparently, they settled on the planet precisely from Antarctica.
Giant
Another major find was made on James Ross Island. There were discovered the remains of a titanosaur that lived, according to scientists, 70 million years ago. This herbivorous lizard had a long tail and an equally impressive neck, as well as a massive body. The discovered bones probably belonged to an individual that reached thirty meters in length. This dinosaur lived not only in Antarctica, similar remains are found on all continents.
Meteor Rain
The bones of ancient lizards are not the only interesting finds found on the icy continent. Here, in in large numbers meteorites are found. In some areas, the ice layer is literally full of interspersed space "aliens". It should be noted that the frequency of meteorites falling on the territory of Antarctica does not differ from the average for the planet as a whole (1 meteorite per year per square kilometer). The striking number of finds is due to other reasons. Dark meteorites are best seen in the snow. In addition, the low temperatures of the mainland contribute to their "conservation" and preservation in an almost unchanged form. The slow movement of glaciers towards the coast and their destruction leads to the accumulation of meteorite fragments in certain areas of the continent, calculated by researchers and regularly examined by them.
Another mass of amazing finds hides Antarctica. Interesting facts about the continent are regularly updated with new information after the return of expeditions. The data already available can be built into a very long list. That is why today Antarctica: interesting facts, photos of the landscape, data on the results of research, and so on, attracts the attention of not only specialists, but also people who are not related to science by occupation.
Antarctica was discovered much later than other continents, and Russian sailors were the first to sail to it, almost 200 years ago. Antarctica translates literally from Greek as "the opposite of the Arctic". You can get there by plane or icebreaker-ship, which knows how to make its way through the ice.
Situated Antarctica at the South Pole of the Earth. This continent is the realm of eternal cold. It is covered with a thick layer of ice. And the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans splash around. In Antarctica, the climate is very cold, it can be cold up to minus 90 degrees.
I could live in Antarctica permanently, probably only The Snow Queen– she would have liked ice cliffs and snow-covered deserts. But ordinary people have a hard time in such conditions. Therefore, they come here for a very short time - in scientific expeditions: explore air and water, look for minerals - substances that help make life easier for a person. Interestingly, the most "summer" month here is February, so just at this time, scientists come here for their shifts.
Exploring such a harsh continent is not for the timid.
However, some living creatures and plants in Antarctica are quite comfortable. Tiny islands of land protruding from under the ice are covered with mosses and lichens, seals and elephant seals bask in the rookeries, penguins walk importantly among the snowy deserts. By the way, only in Antarctica are found emperor penguins, they differ from others in that they are much larger and taller than their counterparts.
Emperor penguins are native to Antarctica. It's amazing how they could adapt to life in such a cold.
At the end of the last century, Russian scientists discovered an ice-free lake under the ice in Antarctica and named it "East", it is the largest, in total there are more than 140 subglacial lakes.
In 2000, an iceberg broke away from the ice shelf, which is the largest iceberg that exists in our time, its area is 11,000 square meters. km., length 295 km., and width - 37 km., rises above sea level by 30 meters.
There are also active volcanoes on the continent. The most famous of them is Erebus, that is, "a volcano guarding the path to the South Pole."
This is what Erebus volcano looks like from a bird's eye view
Here is such a mysterious, snowy and impregnable Antarctica!
Antarctica is the first thing that comes to our mind when we see the land completely covered with ice. It is located in southern hemisphere and is the southernmost continent.
Officially, Antarctica was discovered in 1820 during the Russian round the world expedition under the direction of Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
Only 2% of the mainland is visible land, the rest of the surface is covered with ice, which contains 70% of all fresh water on the planet.
Animals living in Antarctica have been able to adapt to cold climatic conditions, mainly penguins and seals.
Algae, bacteria, fungi and some plant species coexist next to them. The height of the ice cover covering Antarctica reaches 2040 meters, which is more than 2.5 times the average height of the surface of all other continents. Near the South Pole, the thickness of the ice cover reaches almost 4000 meters.
icebergs
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The largest, tallest and largest icebergs in the world have been found in Antarctica. In addition, B-15, which is the largest iceberg in the world and is 295 km long and 37 km wide, is also found in Antarctica.
Conditions similar to Mars
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Antarctica has been declared to be similar to Mars in terms of climate and many other factors. Here, just like on Mars, there is a long darkness, no natural resources, and some dry valleys of Antarctica resemble the landscapes of Mars. The conditions are so similar that scientists from the National Science Foundation and NASA are using Antarctica as a model for Mars, testing technologies and models of machinery that will soon be sent to Mars.
Only 2 seasons
Antarctica is considered the driest, coldest and windiest place on Earth. The lowest recorded temperature is -89.4 C, and the average temperature is -34.4 C. Antarctica is considered the largest desert, as it is practically devoid of precipitation. In addition, there are only two seasons - winter and summer. During 6 summer months the sun shines in Antarctica, it spends 6 winter months in darkness. It is in winter that the size of the mainland increases, and in summer it decreases.
Unique biodiversity
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Antarctica is home to many other animals that can only be found here. So, lives only on this mainland. The most famous inhabitants of Antarctica are penguins, fur seals and seals - here is the largest population of these animals. The emperor penguin is the only species that breeds in winter. Blue whales living in the waters of Antarctica are larger in size than blue whales living in other seas.
No economy
There is tourism in Antarctica, but it is possible only on the very outskirts of the mainland. In addition, fishermen also catch fish only near the shores. Several research stations are based in Antarctica, but they deal exclusively with scientific activity. There is an "Antarctic dollar", but it has no legal force and therefore cannot be used as a currency.
No governments
Antarctica is considered a zone free from any kind of property. Many countries tried to establish their rights to this mainland, but did not receive any recognition. Antarctica is a politically neutral land and can only be used for scientific purposes.
human life
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Antarctica is a continent without a population, since the low temperature and harsh climatic conditions are not suitable for permanent residence. On the mainland, you can meet only tourists and scientists. In 1978, seven families were sent to the mainland by the Argentine government to test the possibility of survival on this land. Emilio Marcos Palma is the first boy born on the very outskirts of the Antarctic Peninsula, and Solveig Jacobsen is the first girl born on the mainland. On King George Island, near Bellingshausen station, the Russian Orthodox Church was built.
The best place for meteorites
Antarctica is the best place to study and study meteorites. The first meteorite was discovered in 1912. Today, Antarctica is recognized as a natural gallery of various types of meteorites.
There is no standard time
In Antarctica, it is impossible to set a standard time, so scientists living at the stations follow the clock rhythms of their country.
Global warming
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Antarctica is facing serious consequences of global warming and ozone depletion. If the melting of the ice sheet continues at this rate, one far from perfect day, water will flood the entire Earth. Global warming and ozone depletion are also causing the extinction of penguins and many other Antarctic species. Thus, we must take measures that will help reduce ozone depletion and prevent global warming.
Many people quite often confuse Antarctica and the Arctic. Geography experts will say that the Arctic is in the north, and Antarctica is in the south. Fans of Natinal Geographic will add that in the Arctic there are polar bears, and in Antarctica there are penguins, and these animals never intersect.
But most importantly, Antarctica is a huge continent larger than Australia in area! But apart from basic knowledge, what do we know about it?
WuzzUp enlightens 🙂
1. Antarctica is the largest desert in the world.
2. The coldest place on Earth is a high ridge in Antarctica, where the temperature was recorded at -93.2 ° C. 
3. Some areas of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (an ice-free part of Antarctica) have not had rain or snow for the past 2 million years. 
4. Antarctica is the only continent without reptiles. 
5. In Antarctica, there is a waterfall with water red as blood, which is explained by the presence of iron, which oxidizes when it comes into contact with air. 
6. There is only one ATM throughout Antarctica. 
7. About 80% of our planet's fresh water reserves are located in the ice sheet of Antarctica. 
8. To go to work in Antarctica, every person needs to have their wisdom teeth and appendix removed. 
9. There are no polar bears in Antarctica (they are only in the Arctic), but there are a lot of penguins here. 
10. Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone. 
11. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent on the planet. 
12. Melting ice in Antarctica caused a slight change in gravity. 
13. There is a Chilean town in Antarctica with a school, hospital, hotel, post office, internet, TV and mobile phone network. 
14. The Antarctic ice sheet has been around for at least 40 million years. 
15. There are lakes in Antarctica that never freeze because of the heat coming from the bowels of the Earth. 
16. The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 14.5°C. 
17. Since 1994, the use of sled dogs has been banned on the continent. 
18. Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. 
19. Once upon a time (more than 40 million years ago) Antarctica was as hot as California. 
20. There are seven Christian churches on the continent. 
21. Ants, whose colonies are distributed over almost the entire land surface of the planet, are absent in Antarctica (as well as in Iceland, Greenland and several remote islands). 
22. The territory of Antarctica is larger than Australia by about 5.8 million square kilometers. 
23. Most of Antarctica is covered with ice, about 1% of the land is free from ice cover. 
24. In 1977, Argentina sent a pregnant woman to Antarctica so that the Argentinean baby would become the first person born on this harsh mainland. 
25. In 2000, the largest iceberg with an area of 11,000 square kilometers broke away from Antarctica. More than Jamaica! 
26. The average ice thickness is about 1.6 km. 
27. Wind speed in some places in Antarctica can reach 320 km/h. 
A short message about Antarctica will help you prepare for the lesson and learn the features of this continent.
A short note about Antarctica
And in the extreme south of our planet is the continent of Antarctica, the name of which is formed using the prefix "ant", meaning the opposite, i.e. opposite the Arctic.
Antarctica is an uninhabitable continent. The area is 14.1 million km2, according to this parameter, this deserted continent has overtaken only Australia.
The south pole of the Earth is located in Antarctica, the temperature in winter drops below -70 °C, and in summer it does not rise above -25 °C. Strong winds and high dryness of the air complement the climatic picture. Therefore, even a small open fire quickly turns into a huge flame.
There is a large ozone hole above Antarctica. It was formed over the continent due to its climate. According to scientists, its size exceeds the area of the North American continent. Beyond the southern polar circle comes the polar night, but it lasts from April to August.
Discovery and study of Antarctica
The mainland was discovered by Russian explorers F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev. In 1820, on the schooners Vostok and Mirny, overcoming unimaginable difficulties, they reached the steep ice shores of Antarctica. For almost two years they explored the coastal area, mapping new islands. Thus began the study and development of this harsh region. It was continued by researchers from many countries.
There is no permanent population in this deserted icy desert, only scientists live and work at wintering stations. There are 42 stations operating there. The change on them lasts from 12 months to one and a half years.
Why are scientists studying Antarctica?
The polar regions of the Earth are called the kitchen of the weather. It is here that air currents are born that affect the weather of the entire planet.
Of great interest to science is the ice cover of Antarctica. It, covering almost its entire territory, rising to a height of more than 2.5 km. If all this ice melts, then the level of the world's oceans will rise by 60 m. In addition, the main reserves of fresh water are concentrated in it.
Subglacial lakes are of great scientific interest. The largest of them is Lake Vostok, located at a depth of about 4 km. Scientists managed to take ice samples from this lake. Groups of bacteria previously unknown to science were found in them.
Antarctica even has extinct and active volcanoes. According to scientists, this continent has reserves hard coal, natural gas, oil and other raw materials.
Fauna and flora of Antarctica
Antarctica is often referred to as a biological desert. Only on some of its outskirts you can see mosses, lichens and mushrooms. Plankton quickly multiply in coastal waters to become food for whales, seals and fish.
Here you can meet the largest seals (sea elephants) and giant jellyfish weighing up to 150 kg.
Penguins walk on the ice, gulls, albatrosses fly in. Many of the representatives of flora and fauna are found only on this mainland, i.e. are endemic.
Who owns Antarctica?
Despite the climate of the continent, many countries claim its territory. In 1959, an international agreement was concluded, according to which Antarctica is considered an international territory. It can be used by any state only for scientific research for peaceful purposes. A special protocol banned all mining until 2048 useful resources from her bowels.
You can supplement an interesting message about Antarctica with interesting facts.