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Antarctica - 10 Fascinating Facts about the Unknown White Continent
- Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. Founded by the Soviet Union in 1957, Vostok Reserch Station lies at the southern Pole of Cold and has the lowest reliably measured natural temperature on Earth of −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K).
- Antarctica is the driest place on earth. The amount of moisture that falls on the polar plateau is similar to the amount that falls on the world’s hot deserts.
- Antarctica is the windiest place on earth. Antarctica holds the record among continents for sustained wind speeds whichcan reach 200 mph and frequently exceed 100mph in winter.
- Antarctica is the highest place on earth. It has the highest average elevation of all the continents, at 8,200 ft (2,500 m).
- No one owns Antarctica. Politically, although seven countries (Chile, Argentina, Norway, UK, Australia, France and New Zealand) have all made territorial claims, Antarctica is covered by an international agreement signed by 57 countries (at the time of writing) – the Antarctic Treaty System – which includes all land south of 60°S. The treaty governs the actions of everyone visiting Antarctica, providing a code of conduct that aims to protect the continent’s environment and wildlife. The Treaty also ensures that the valuable scientific research conducted in Antarctica is shared between all signatory nations.
- No-one lives in Antarctica – it is the only continent without a permanent human population.
- Gold, silver and oil are all believed to be present in Antarctica, but have never been mined.
- 180 million years or so ago, Antarctica (along with America, South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand) was part of Gondwana which was part of the supercontinent of Pangea. Gradually – about at the speed your finger nails grow – Antarctica split away from its neighbours, Drake Passage opened up and the continent gently began to float away into the deep freeze.
- It was once quite warm in Antarctica. Before Antarctica split away it was covered in dense vegetation and had no land-ice masses for almost 100 million years. The average summer temperatures were around 19 degrees Celsius, and the rainfall was similar to Wales.
- The present Antarctic ice sheet accounts for 90 percent of the Earth’s total ice volume and 70 percent of its fresh water. It houses enough water to raise global sea level by over 70 metres/240 feet. It is a sobering thought to contemplate the impact on the world should Antarctica ever melt…
