ANTARCTICA

LOCATION Antarctica is Earth's southern most continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

SIZE Over 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice. It is the driest and coldest continent on earth. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent based on size, but it is the smallest in population with an official population of ZERO (although some people do visit for scientific research).

LARGEST DESERT Antarctica is the coldest continent. Antarctica is technically the world's largest desert. It averages less than 4 mm of precipitation monthly, about the same as the Sahara Desert. The reason that there is so much snow in Antarctica is the ice rarely melts! 

LIFE ON ANTARCTICA There is little life on land in Antarctica.  However, the ocean surrounding Antarctica is the home of many animals, including penguins, seals and whales.  The food web of the Southern Ocean is very fragile because it relies on krill, a tiny crustacean.

PLANTS Antarctica has no trees or bushes at all, vegetation is limited to  about 350 species of mostly lichens, mosses, and algae. There are lush beds of such vegetation in some parts of the Antarctic Peninsula.  Lichens have been discovered growing on isolated mountains within 475 km of the South Pole.

Ice Sheets If Antarctica's ice sheets melted, the world’s oceans would rise by 60 to 65 metres everywhere.  

TEMPERATURE Antarctica is the also coldest continent on earth. The lowest temperature ever recorded on earth was minus 89.2°C at Vostok, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, in 1983. The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 14.6°C

NOBODY OWNS ANTARCTICA Antarctica remains free of government and ownership. In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was drafted, designating the land as “a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.” 48 nations have signed the treaty.

NO PERMANENT RESIDENTS There are no permanent residents in Antarctica. The only people who live there are visiting scientists. During the summer, the number averages about 5,000. In the winter, it drops to 1,000.

1900 - 1922 is known as the "Heroic Age" of Antarctic exploration ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS 1900 - 1922 is known as the "Heroic Age" of Antarctic exploration 1902 – Captain Robert Falcon Scott, UK, leads his first Antarctic expedition to try to reach the South Pole, with Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson. They are forced to turn back two months later having reached 82 degrees south, suffering from snow blindness and scurvy. 1907 – 1909 - Shackleton leads expedition to within 156km of the South Pole, turns back after supplies are exhausted. 1909 - Australian Douglas Mawson reaches the South Magnetic Pole. 1911 – Norwegian Roald Amundsen leads a five man expedition that reaches the South Pole for the first time.

ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS 1912 - Britain's Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole to discover he has been beaten by Amundsen. All of the five man team (Scott, Bowers, Evans, Oates and Wilson), are to perish on the return journey only 11 miles from supply depot. Bodies are not discovered until November. 1912 - December. Douglas Mawson begins his trek across George V Land back to his base at Commonwealth Bay. His two companions had died, and against the odds he makes it home. A new section of coast is discovered and described, and radio is used for the first time in Antarctica. 1915 - October. Shackleton returns to Antarctica in an attempt to complete the first crossing of the continent. The goal is not attained, but one of the greatest adventures of all time follows. Their ship is crushed in the sea ice and a small party sets out for South Georgia and the whaling station. The party is eventually rescued in 1917.

SIR DOUGLAS MAWSON Sir Douglas Mawson (1882-1958) was an Australian who led a series of expeditions to Antarctica. Through these expeditions he made significant contributions to the scientific studies and understanding of Antarctica and other related phenomena in geology and meteorology.

FIRST FLIGHTS 1928 Australian Sir George Wilkins and American Carl Benjamin Eielson are the first to fly over Antarctica around the peninsula region. 1929 Richard E. Byrd and three others - US - become the first to fly over the South Pole.

Australian Antarctic History The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is the largest territorial claim over the continent and covers much of east Antarctica. The total area is approximately 5,800,000 km² – about the area of Australia excluding Queensland. Australia is among seven nations which have claimed territory in Antarctica. The other claimant nations are Argentina, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Even in Antarctica, environmental problems have played their part. Modern technology has brought with it: Waste, tourism, overfishing, habitat destruction, and the potential for resource exploitation. What's more, global environmental concerns such as: global warming, ozone destruction, air and water pollution, and nuclear fallout all affect the southern continent to one degree or another. Today, the Antarctic Treaty does an admirable job of protecting the continent's environmental riches. Comprehensive assessment and monitoring tools are used to minimize human impacts on fragile ecosystems.