50 FUN & Interesting Facts About Antarctica

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Everybody is aware of that Antarctica is the seventh continent, a frozen tundra, and residential to penguins. However do you know that Antarctica is a desert? Or how about that meteorites are discovered on the continent or that solely 10 folks have been born on the continent? These are only a few information about Antarctica that we discovered once we traveled there. Actually, it’s such an fascinating continent, I may in all probability create a listing of 1000 Antarctica information!

Nonetheless, everyone knows that might begin to get outdated after some time, so as an alternative, we now have narrowed it right down to a few of the most fascinating information about Antarctica that will help you study this stunning place.

Info About Antarctica To Know!

1. The Antarctic Continent is a Pretty Current Discovery

There have been suspicions that there may very well be one other landmass to the south, however nobody really noticed it with their very own eyes till 1819. Antarctica was the final of the seven continents to be found.

2. What’s in a Identify

Though Antarctica is a current discovery, the phrase itself, which suggests “reverse the poles” was used way back to 350 B.C. Though there was no proof to assist the idea, many individuals believed that there was a large land mass on the backside of the earth lengthy earlier than it was found.

3. Antarctica is sort of Giant

Though small in comparison with different continents, Antarctica is definitely fairly massive at 14 million sq. kilometers.

4. Winters are Lengthy and Darkish

As if Antarctic winters aren’t unhealthy sufficient, think about a protracted, bitterly chilly winter with none solar. Throughout winter, the solar doesn’t rise which suggests Antarctica is plunged into months of whole darkness.

5. However you have got the Lengthy Vibrant Summer time to Look Ahead to!

Summer time in Antarctica is the exact opposite of winter on the subject of the solar; it rises and doesn’t set for your complete season which suggests you get a number of months of sunshine 24 hours a day!

6. Seasonal Modifications

Antarctica’s dimension modifications relying on what season it’s. In winter, when the ocean ice expands, the continent almost doubles in dimension!

7. A Treaty to Finish Tensions

Like every other new lands found by people, tensions run excessive when a number of totally different nations really feel that they’ve possession of it. Since Antarctica is the one continent to have by no means been settled and to don’t have any indigenous inhabitants, many international locations vied for possession on the identical time.

To quell these tensions, a Treaty was launched in 1959 and it was an settlement to share the continent and reserve it for science and unity between the nations.

8. A Desert Wasteland

One thing that can probably be surprising to you is the truth that Antarctica is usually desert. When you’re like most individuals, the phrases sizzling, dry, and huge come to thoughts. Properly, Antarctica is unquestionably huge and dry nevertheless it’s undoubtedly not sizzling!

However a desert doesn’t should be sizzling to be categorised as a desert. It simply must be very dry and Antarctica, notably its valleys, is the driest place on the planet with solely two inches of rain per rain.

9. A Very Vital Present

The Circumpolar Present is a really well-known wind-driven present that strikes clockwise across the continent. It strikes air, salt, vitamins, and marine species to maintain issues flowing as they need to.

10. Meteorites are sometimes Present in Antarctica

It’s straightforward to identify issues which can be misplaced in Antarctica as a result of the panorama shouldn’t be all that different. That is why the meteorites that land listed here are really easy to seek out.

So many are discovered right here that it makes it look like meteorites fall right here on a regular basis however, in actual fact, they don’t fall on Antarctica any greater than they do wherever else. So far, over 10,000 meteorites have been discovered right here.

11. An Abundance of Life

When you thought Antarctica was a barren, lifeless land, assume once more! There are over 9,000 animal species thriving on the continent, some massive, some small and a few stay on land whereas others stay within the waters surrounding it. This is likely one of the coolest information about Antarctica but!

12. Hearth and Ice

Energetic volcanoes won’t be one thing you thought had been current in Antarctica, however there are literally at the least two energetic ones on the continent and there may very well be extra but to be found. Mount Erebus is probably the most southerly energetic volcano on the planet and in addition the best on the continent.

13. Somebody Skied Throughout Antarctica

This is likely one of the most unbelievable information about Antarctica! Professionally, Felicity Aston is a meteorologist, however she is usually recognized for the adventurous endeavor she undertook in 2011. She skied 1,744 kilometers throughout Antarctica in simply 59 days!

14. Antarctica was As soon as a Tropical Paradise

It’s laborious to image, however Antarctica was as soon as a lush panorama with tropical climate based on 50-million-year-old fossils which have been found there. Even dinosaurs had been in a position to thrive in Antarctica thousands and thousands of years in the past!

15. A Land for Everybody, In all places

Regardless of many international locations making an attempt to say possession of Antarctica, presently nobody particular person or nation owns it.

It’s presently beneath a treaty with 48 international locations having signed the settlement that designates it a peaceable place faraway from battle and a pure reserve devoted to science and exploration.

16. A Large Chunk of Ice

At almost 4 miles thick, the Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest mass of ice on earth.

17. Dwelling to the Largest Ice Shelf

At over 510,000 sq. kilometers, Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf ever discovered.

18. Taking the Plunge

Whereas solely advisable when you’re wholesome and have sought recommendation out of your physician first, it’s attainable to go for somewhat swim in Antarctic waters. When you dare, in fact! This organized dips happen all through the vacationer season and is often organized by the tour operator or expedition ship company booked with.

19. Mountains Galore

Stretching greater than 1,200 kilometers and with peaks as excessive as 2,800 meters, the Gamburstev Mountain Vary is likely one of the largest mountain ranges on the planet.

20. A Rival to the Mighty Grand Canyon

Solely found in 2010, a trench regarded as one of many largest ones on the planet will be present in Antarctica. At 100 kilometers lengthy, 9 kilometers vast and nearly two kilometers deep, it simply is likely to be larger than the Grand Canyon. Solely additional exploration will inform!

21. A Distinctive Delivery Ceremony

Solely ten folks have ever been born in Antarctica nevertheless it’s Emilio Marco Palma who holds the title of the primary particular person ever born on the continent.

22. When Ice Breaks Away

Generally ice chunks break free from the Ross Ice Shelf and the one which broke away in March of 2000 was fairly massive at 270 kilometers lengthy and 40 kilometers vast!

23. A Deep and Salty Lake

There’s a lake in Antarctica that’s so salty it by no means freezes regardless of the frigid air temperatures!

Don Juan Pond accommodates a dense, syrupy brine that’s exceptionally wealthy in calcium chloride, making it one of many saltiest our bodies of water on Earth. The outstanding function of this pond is that it will possibly stay liquid at temperatures as little as minus 50 levels Celsius, which is properly beneath the freezing level of standard water.

24. An Abundance of Contemporary Water

Antarctica’s ice holds round 90% of Earth’s freshwater ice and 70% of the freshwater on your complete planet! Now, if we may solely faucet into that water and resolve the scarcity that many locations all over the world are going through!

25. A Warming Continent

There’s little question that the earth is warming however do you know that Antarctica is warming faster than wherever else on the planet? Not fairly a type of enjoyable information about Antarctica. Over the past 5 many years, the typical temperature rose by 3°C which is 5 occasions sooner than wherever else.

26. You possibly can solely go North!

Give it some thought; you’re in probably the most southerly place on the planet. What different manner are you able to go however North?

27. The place Blood-red Water Flows

Explorers observed one thing unusual again in 1911 after they stumbled upon the Taylor Glacier; purple water was flowing from someplace deep contained in the glacier.

It wasn’t till 1917 that researchers found the supply; it was coming from a lake deep throughout the glacier. The lake’s waters have excessive ranges of salt and iron which trigger the water to show purple when it makes contact with the air.

28. Diamond Mud Falls from the Sky

Antarctica is the one place on earth the place diamond mud floats by the air. It’s not likely diamonds although, it simply seems that manner. It’s very small ice crystals that sparkle when the solar hits them in order that they appear to be diamonds.

29. Vegetation are Uncommon

There are not any timber or shrubs wherever in Antarctica. On the subject of flora, Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic Pearlwort are the one two flowering vegetation on the continent.

30. The Issues that Lie Beneath the Ice Shelf

Image Lake Michigan. It’s enormous. Now image a lake that dimension hiding 4 kilometers beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. That is Lake Vostok, and it’s simply considered one of greater than 200 our bodies of water that lie beneath the ice.

32. There’s such a factor as Anti-freezing Fish in Antarctica

Even if the saltwater temperatures in Antarctica can drop to a really chilly -1.8°C earlier than freezing over, there are a selection of dwelling issues thriving on this water! How do they survive in such chilly?

Properly, there are a number of fish species that stay in these waters which have an anti-freeze-like substance of their blood that stops them from freezing.

33. There are Very Few Everlasting Residents in Antarctica

Solely 140 folks stay in Antarctica all yr spherical however at sure occasions, there may very well be 1000’s of individuals dwelling and dealing there briefly. These folks aren’t there for leisure; they’re there to discover the huge panorama, examine the animals and flora and uncover the distinctive pure phenomena that happens on this fascinating place.

A handful of vacationers additionally discover the continent, principally throughout the summer time months however their excursions are solely restricted to sure areas and solely final a short while.

34. A Daring Journey

It’s broadly believed that James Prepare dinner and his crew had been the primary to cross the Antarctic Circle within the early 1770s.

35. A Risk to Sea Ranges

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is so large that if it melted, sea ranges all over the world may rise about 16 toes.

36. First to Stroll on the Continent

So far as we all know primarily based on the primary documentation, the primary folks to land on Antarctica and stroll on the continent had been the crew of a whaling and sealing expedition again in 1895.

37. That’s some Thick Ice!

The ice round Antarctica may be very thick. In some locations, the typical thickness is as much as 1.6 kilometers!

38. Tiny however Plentiful

The most typical land creature in Antarctica shouldn’t be the penguin as many individuals assume. It’s a tiny worm generally known as the nematode worm.

39. It’s Very Windy!

Hurricane-force winds alongside the Atlantic Coast don’t even examine to Antarctica’s winds! These winds typically attain 320 kilometers per hour making it the windiest place on the planet.

40. Would you count on to see Sand Dunes in Antarctica?

Consider it or not, there are big sand dunes in Antarctica. The tallest one rises 230 toes and is over 650 toes vast and will be discovered within the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

41. It Absolutely does get Chilly!

I’m certain that is a type of information about Antarctica that comes as no shock. Antarctica recorded the coldest temperature ever on earth. That temperature was -93.2°C and it was measured on the East Antarctic Plateau.

42. One other First

In 1907, the crew of the Nimrod Antarctic Exploration had been the primary folks to succeed in the magnetic South Pole. In 1911, An expedition led by Roald Amundsen reached the geographic south pole first.

43. Time Stands Nonetheless

As a spot with no time zones, nobody actually is aware of what time it’s at any given second in Antarctica. Researchers staying on the continent for any size of time often simply go by the point zone they know greatest, the one at dwelling! After we traveled to Antarctica we operated on Ushuaia time, which was the place we departed from.

44. A Continent United

Scientists from 30 international locations work out of 80 analysis stations located round Antarctica. Summer time is the busiest time of yr when about 4,000 folks man these stations. Only one,000 persons are courageous sufficient to endure the lengthy, laborious Antarctic winters!

45. There’s a Publish Workplace in Antarctica!

You learn that proper, and this considered one of our favourite Antarctica information! There’s a submit workplace in Antarctica, and vacationers can ship letters dwelling from there.

Port Lockroy is likely one of the hottest vacationer locations in Antarctica, attracting 1000’s of tourists yearly as nearly each cruise ship to Antarctica makes a cease right here. It’s not only a submit workplace although, this web site options historic buildings, together with a museum that showcases the historical past of the realm and the analysis performed by the British Antarctic Survey.

Guests can even go to a present store to purchase Antarctic goodies, with proceeds going again to the Antarctic Heritage Belief. Choose up some stamps on the submit workplace and kiss your letters goodbye! Postcards can take wherever from 2 weeks to 2 years to succeed in dwelling (mine took 6 weeks to make it again to the US). In case you’re questioning about foreign money, the submit workplace accepts USD, Euro, and British Kilos.

46. A Large Continent

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent on this planet, with a floor space of 14.0 million sq. kilometers (5.4 million sq. miles).

Antarctica was as soon as part of the supercontinent Gondwana, which additionally included South America, Africa, Australia, India, and Antarctica, however started separating from the opposite landmasses round 160 million years in the past!

47. That’s Fairly Chilly

In all probability not some of the stunning information about Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, with temperatures reaching as little as minus 128.6 levels Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 levels Celsius) within the winter!

48. Actual Life Comfortable Toes

The Emperor penguin, which is the most important penguin species, is discovered solely in Antarctica. They will stand up to temperatures as little as minus 40 levels Celsius (minus 40 levels Fahrenheit). Although when you’re touring to Antarctica it’s unlikely you’ll see them, they l Iive in a few of the hardest to succeed in elements of the continent.

49. Iceberg Proper Forward

The icebergs that break off from Antarctica will be huge in dimension. In 2017, an iceberg generally known as A-68 broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf and was twice the scale of Luxembourg, and bigger than the state of Delaware!

50. No Northern Lights, However…

The southern lights, or Aurora Australis, will be seen from Antarctica throughout the winter months. Which means that devoted scientist and researchers get to take pleasure in them, as vacationers can’t journey to Antarctica within the winter. This pure mild show is brought on by charged particles from the solar interacting with the Earth’s magnetic discipline.