27 interesting facts about the mysterious Antarctica.
What is Antarctica famous for?
It is famous for its vast deserted land of ice and drastically low temperatures, but it is also known for its great beauty. Antarctica is famous for its vast deserted land of ice and drastically low temperatures, but it is also known for its great beauty. Antarctica is the most important natural laboratory in the world. Scientists have made important discoveries through the thick ice sheet. These findings have helped us better understand our planet, its profound effect on Earth’s climate and ocean systems, and the measurement of atmospheric gases.
“Antarctica is otherworldly, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Stark, cold, beautiful desolation.”
— Mark Hoppus
27 Interesting Facts About Antarctica
👉 Antarctica is a land covered in ice
About 97.6% of the continent is covered in ice. Read more at US NSF OPP ANT – Ice Sheets.
👉 Antarctica is desert and extremely dry
Antarctica has meager precipitation. An average on the south pole of 0.4 inches over the past three decades. Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth, which makes it a polar desert… Read more: Is Antarctica a desert? YES. Find out why.
👉 No one lives in Antarctica
This continent has no indigenous population. The only settlements with short-term residents are scientists and government employees. Read next, The Antarctic Population, who lives in Antarctica.
👉 Antarctica has a unique wildlife
It’s the only continent that doesn’t have terrestrial mammals but is home to a wide range of marine wildlife and birds. We can see whales, orcas, seals, Krill, Squid and phytoplankton, and birds such as penguins.
👉 Orcas are not the only most dangerous predators in Antarctica.
A pod of orcas can take on prays large as the white shark, which makes them dangerous. The leopard seal is the other dangerous mammal in Antarctica. To read more about Wildlife in Antarctica.
👉 It is dangerous to be in Antarctica
Antarctica has unpredictable and extreme weather. These conditions put us at risk of frostbite and sun exposure, which can damage our eyes.
👉 Antarctica Treaty
The discovery of Antarctica created some tension between several nations. So, they agreed to sign the Antarctic Treaty to keep peace and for scientific research. You might be interested in The Antarctic Treaty.
👉 Who signed the treaty for Antarctica?
12 countries initially signed the Treaty. Today, 30 different countries operate 80 research stations.
👉 Antarctica has a colossal mountain range
Antarctica has one of the world’s greatest mountain ranges. It has 3 major mountain systems: Antarctica Peninsula Cordillera, Ellsworth Mountains, and the Trans-Antarctic mountain Gamburtsev Mountain. Vinson Massif is Antarctica’s highest point. Read more about the Mountain Ranges In Antarctica.
👉 Massive rift in the rock that might resemble Grand Canyon
This rift runs as deep as the Grand Canyon. It’s called the Ferringo rift, and its opening allows a warm water sea to enter the ice sheet, which melts the ice faster.
👉 Discovery of Larsen C ice shelf rift
In 2016, NASA scientists discovered a massive rift in the Antarctica Peninsula, the Larsen C rise shelf. This opening is about 70 miles long and over 300 feet wide.
👉 Antarctica was discovered by accident
The first Westerner to spot Antarctica was in 1820. However, studies suggest that Polynesians and Māori might have discovered it in the 7th century.
👉 Antarctica has a unique location
The continent lies almost perfectly within the polar circle. You might be interested in reading about the Antarctic Circle Located?
👉 Antarctica holds most of the world’s freshwater
Antarctica has 90% of the world’s Ice Sheets, and around 70% of the world’s freshwater is in the vast ice sheet.
👉 Antarctica’s lake is salty
McMurdo Dry Valley, at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, has lakes filled with Salty water and frozen permafrost. In Summer, when the glacier melts, it creates a healthy groundwater system that could provide a thriving ecosystem.
👉 The Antarctic is melting
In the last 50 years, the temperature has increased by around 37F. The melting of ice can cause a sea rise of 6.5 feet.
👉 Antarctica has active volcanoes
Mount Erebus is near McMurdo’s base. During volcanic explosions, it ejected rocks of phonolite-like booms. This Active Volcano has a permanent lava lake; sometimes it is possible to see the red from the lava reflecting on the sky.
👉 Lots of meteorites
It’s common to find meteorites in Antarctica. The cold weather preserves the rocks, and the white snow makes it easy to spot them. The larger found was around 3.5 Lbs.
👉 There is no Antarctic time zone
There is no time zone because Antarctica is located where the lines of longitude meet at a single point. The personnel who work there usually stay within the time zone of their country of departure.
👉 There are no cities in Antarctica
The continent has no cities. It has around 80 research stations around the continent. Mostly isolated from each other.
👉 Who is claiming Antarctica
Seven countries claim territorial in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK.
👉 When did Antarctica freeze?
A hundred million years ago, Antarctica was a mind-blowing subtropical forest. Scientists discovered amazing fossil plants, revealing the continent was green once. About 34 million years ago, because of climate change, Antarctica became this icy continent.
👉 How cold is Antarctica?
Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The coldest temperature recorded was – 89C / -128F at the Russian station in 1983.
👉 Is Antarctica for tourists?
Every year, tourists visit the Antarctica peninsula. In 2019-20, Antarctica received 75,000 visitors. The expectation for 2022-23 is to exceed 100,000. Read more about Antarctica’s Tourism Boom Could Be Stressing Out Penguins.
👉 What do scientists study in Antarctica?
credit: Hot on the trail of Antarctic meteorites (snexplores.org.)
The main work of the Scientist’s Research is Biology, astronomy, and astrophysics.
👉 Scientists found a new particle in Antarctica
The IceCube Laboratory at the South Pole ran an experiment under the ice. The scientist detected a subatomic particle called Neutrino.
👉 In 2022, Scientists made a discovery
Scientists have found an enormous lake, the size of a city, underneath the ice sheet. It was named Lake Snow Eagle. It’s around 140 square miles and is a mile down the ice sheets.
“I think part of the appeal of Antarctica is experiencing some sort of power, the forces of the natural world.”
― Jon Krakauer
The wrap-up: So, what is Antarctica famous for?
Antarctica is a mystical place. Where the air is pure, and life can survive even in severe weather conditions. You might want to read more in my previous blog about visiting and working in Antarctica and the isolated continent of Antarctica.
