In the south of the globe there is a continent opposite the Arctic called Antarctica, washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. This continent has the lowest humidity on Earth, the strongest wind and the most intense solar radiation. This is part of the world, which includes the mainland of Antarctica, and the islands adjacent to it. The earth's axis passes through the center of the continent, because here is the south pole.

Why is Antarctica called the Land of Ice?

Antarctica was called the land of ice because of its geographical location, because it is located beyond the Antarctic Circle, where the sun does not rise high above the horizon and only once a year you can watch its sunrise and sunset. Day and night here last for half a year: in summer there is a polar day, and in winter - a polar night. The sun cannot warm the mainland, so it has always been cold here.

Antarctica rises above sea level by 2 - 4 thousand kilometers and most of the height consists of ice. This ice sheet contains more than 90 percent of the Earth's fresh water, which is stored in ice blocks. According to scientists, it arose more than 30 million years ago. Above this ice sheet, mountain peaks are visible in certain places, there is even an active volcano. There is very little land here and it is covered with snow and a ball of ice, but there are places where the land is not covered with snow, there are also a few lakes that do not freeze.

Majestic icebergs and snowy deserts, huge frozen tsunamis proudly rise in space. The climate here is very severe: severe frosts, very strong winds, snow storms and fogs. This is the only place on earth where there is no rain due to almost zero humidity.

Life in Antarctica

Due to the harsh climate, people do not live here, except for polar explorers and researchers from around the world who work at research stations.

Vegetation on the mainland is very poor. Only in a few places you can see lichens, mushrooms and moss, meadow bushes and a herbaceous plant, colobantus kito. Algae are also found here, their varieties are about 700.

Among the animal world - whales, penguins, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, ice fish. It is also home to valuable emperor penguins. Birds nest in the southern part, including petrels, skuas, cormorants.

Antarctica is still the most mysterious, not fully explored continent, which attracts scientists to unravel its mysteries, and tourists to see the beauty of this unprecedented ice kingdom.

Option 2

On Earth, there are 6 continents that differ from each other. But the most striking to this day is Antarctica. This is the place where the survival rate is close to zero. No, of course, life is possible there, but it is so difficult to get used to that climate. So what is Antarctica?

This continent is easier to describe than all the others, because there are no countries, no cities, no capitals, respectively. But people live there. True, only 5,000 people, and those for a while. What is the reason for such poor attendance of this continent? It's all in a very cold climate. But more on that later. The area of ​​Antarctica is 14,107,000 square kilometers. It is washed by the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. By the way, the mainland still has an unofficial capital. She is considered the village of McMurdo.

The harsh conditions of the continent.

The first problem is temperature. She is very low. If you spit to the side, saliva instantly freezes. The minimum temperature was recorded on July 21, 1983 at the Vostok station, the temperature was - 89.2 degrees Celsius. But that's not all.

In 2010, the temperature dropped even more and the minimum temperature of Antarctica became - 93.2 degrees Celsius. What can I say if the temperature does not rise above + 5 degrees Celsius in summer! The problems also include the following: powerful and long winds, relatively low air humidity and intense solar radiation.

Animals and vegetation of Antarctica.

Let's start with flora. To put it bluntly, it’s generally lucky that something grows there. You can find algae. Along the edges of the mainland, they are inhabited by mosses and lichens, but ordinary plants are also present. With fauna, things are better, although, as a rule, animals are in the same place as plants. It is worth noting that a completely terrestrial inhabitant cannot be found in Antarctica. Seals, fur seals, penguins and killer whales can live on the continent - one of the types of predatory whales.

Curious facts about Antarctica.

1) In 1978, a person could be born on the icy continent.

2) Contrary to all beliefs that polar bears are inhabitants of Antarctica, this is not so, because their place of residence is the Arctic.

3) Antarctica can be called a kind of desert, since no more than 10 centimeters of precipitation falls there per year. This number makes the mainland the driest place on the planet.

Grade 2 World around

ANTARCTICA, a continent in the central part of Antarctica, located almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle.

General information. The area of ​​Antarctica is 13975 thousand km 2 (together with ice shelves and islands and ice domes attached to the mainland with a total area of ​​1582 thousand km 2), the area with the continental shelf is 16355 thousand km 2. Antarctica is located within the Antarctic belt. The coastline with a total length of over 30 thousand km in the eastern part is poorly dissected and passes near the line of the Arctic Circle; in the western part - more indented. The shores are almost everywhere a glacial cliff several tens of meters high. The narrow Antarctic Peninsula is stretched towards South America, the northern tip of which, Cape Prime (63 ° 05 'south latitude), is the northernmost point of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth (the average height is 2350 m, compare - the height of the Earth's land is about 900 m). The average height of the bedrock under-ice surface is about 400 m. The highest point of Antarctica is Mount Vinson (height up to 5140 m) in the massif of the same name. See physical map.

There is no permanent population in Antarctica. Scientific stations operate on the mainland and offshore islands (see Antarctic scientific stations), some of them (for example, in Chile) are equipped with settlements for long-term residence (including women and children). The legal status of Antarctica is regulated by the international Antarctic Treaty of 1959.

Relief. Most of Antarctica is a vast glacial plateau (altitude over 3000 m). According to the features of the relief (primary and icy) and the geological structure, East Antarctica and West Antarctica are distinguished, separated by the Transantarctic Mountains. The relief of the bedrock (subglacial) surface of East Antarctica is characterized by the alternation of high mountain uplifts and deep depressions, the deepest of which is located south of the Knox coast. The main uplifts in the central part of East Antarctica are the Sovetskoye Plateau, the Gamburtsev Mountains, and the Vernadsky Mountains. The Sovetskoye Plateau (height up to 4004 m) lowers to the north, forming a wide valley of the IGY, named after the International Geophysical Year (1957-58). The mountain ranges of Queen Maud Land, Prince Charles, etc. stretch along the coast. The Transantarctic Mountains (up to 4528 m high, Mount Kirkpatrick) are partially covered with ice. The relief of West Antarctica is much lower, but more complex.

Many ridges and peaks (so-called nunataks) in the depths of Antarctica and along the coast come to the surface, especially on the Antarctic Peninsula. The Vinson Massif is located in the Sentinel Range (Ellsworth Mountains). Near the ridge lies the deepest depression of the Bentley subglacial relief (2540 m). Antarctica is an area of ​​extensive continental glaciation. Under the influence of glacial loading, the earth's crust of Antarctica sagged by an average of 0.5 km, which caused the anomalous (compared to other continents) position of the shelf, "lowered" here to a depth of 500 m.

The ice sheet covers almost the entire continent. Only 0.3% of the area is free of ice, where bedrocks come to the surface in the form of individual mountain ranges and rocks or small coastal land areas with low hills, the so-called Antarctic oases; the largest: McMurdo, Bunger, Westfall, Grierson, etc. The average thickness of the ice sheet is about 1800 m, the maximum is over 4000 m. The total ice volume is over 25 million km 3, more than 90% of the fresh water reserves on Earth. The Antarctic ice sheet is asymmetric with respect to the geographic pole, but symmetrical to its center - the Pole of relative inaccessibility (86 ° 06 'S and 54 ° 58' E), which is located at an altitude of 3720 m, 660 km from the South Pole. In the central part of the continent, the bottom layers of ice are close to the melting temperature.

Water accumulates in depressions of the primary relief, and subglacial lakes appear; the largest Lake Vostok (length 260 km, width up to 50 km, water column up to 600 m) is located in the vicinity of Vostok station. The flat central part of the glacial plateau at an altitude of 2200-2700 m turns into a slope that breaks steeply towards the sea. Here the ice sheet is differentiated. In relief depressions, outlet glaciers (Lambert, Ninnis, Merz, Scott, Denman, etc.) are formed, moving inside the continental ice sheet at significant speeds. The ends of outlet glaciers often go out to sea, where they stay afloat. They are flat ice slabs (up to 700 m thick), resting in some places on the uplifts of the seabed. The largest is the Ross Ice Shelf (over 0.5 million km 2). Mountain glaciers are found in mountainous regions with a dissected primary relief, mainly around the Ross Sea, where they reach a length of 100-200 km and a width of 10-40 km. The ice cover is fed by atmospheric precipitation, which accumulates about 2300 km 3 over the entire area per year. The loss of ice occurs mainly due to the breakaway of icebergs. Melting and runoff are low. The balance of matter (ice) in the ice sheet is considered by most researchers to be close to zero. Since the 2nd half of the 20th century, the mass of ice in East Antarctica has been increasing, which, apparently, slows down the observed rise in the level of the World Ocean.

Geological structure and minerals. In the tectonic structure of Antarctica, the East Antarctic ancient platform (or Antarctic), the Transantarctic Early Paleozoic folded belt (or Rossky) and the folded belt of West Antarctica are distinguished (see Tectonic Map). The East Antarctic Platform, a fragment of the supercontinent Gondwana, which broke up in the Mesozoic, has an area of ​​​​more than 8 million km 2; occupies most of East Antarctica. The foundation of the platform, protruding to the surface along the coasts of the mainland, is composed of deeply metamorphosed Archean rocks: orthogneisses with subordinate primary sedimentary and volcanic formations. The oldest complexes on Earth (about 4 billion years old) were found on Enderby Land, in the Prince Charles Mountains. Middle Archean rocks (3.2-2.8 billion years) are distributed in the western part of the Queen Maud Land, in the area of ​​the Denmen Glacier. The Early Middle Archean formations were deformed for the second time in the Late Archean (2.8-2.5 billion years ago). The processes of Early Proterozoic tectonothermal reworking were manifested on Adélie Land, Wilks Land, in the Westfall Oasis, etc. coast of the Weddell Sea). In the Vendian-Cambrian time (600-500 million years ago), the foundation of the platform again underwent tectonothermal processing. From the end of the Proterozoic, a sedimentary cover began to accumulate locally in depressions, which in the Devonian became common to the platform and the Transantarctic belt. The latter is composed mainly of schist-graywacke flysch of the passive margin of the ancient East Antarctic continent. The main phase of deformations is the Beardmore tectogenesis on the border of the Riphean and the Vendian (650 million years ago). The Vendian-Cambrian shallow-water carbonate-terrigenous deposits experienced the final phase of deformations (the Rossian tectogenesis) in the Late Cambrian. In the Devonian, the general subsidence of the Ros belt and the ancient platform began with the deposition of shallow sandy sediments. In the Carboniferous, a sheet glaciation developed. The Permian accumulated coal-bearing strata (up to 1300 m). In the Early Middle Jurassic, there was an outbreak of plateau basalt volcanism, when, during the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent, Antarctica separated from Africa and Hindustan. In the Cretaceous, communication with Australia was interrupted, and under continental conditions, the post-Gondwanal cover began to accumulate. In the late Paleogene, Antarctica separated from South America and was covered by glaciation, which became a cover in the middle of the Neogene.

West Antarctica consists of several blocks (terranes) composed of formations of various ages and tectonic nature, which have united relatively recently, forming the Phanerozoic fold belt of West Antarctica. Terranes are distinguished: Early Middle Paleozoic (northern parts of Victoria Land), Middle Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic (Mary Byrd Lands) and Mesozoic-Cenozoic (Antarctic Peninsula, or Antarctica). The latter is a continuation of the South American Cordillera. The terrane of the Ellsworth and Whitmore mountains occupies a boundary position between the fold belts of West Antarctica and the Rossky; has a Precambrian basement overlain by deformed Paleozoic complexes. The structures of the fold belt of West Antarctica are partially overlain by the sedimentary cover of the young platform. The Ross and Weddell Seas are developing links of the West Antarctic Mesozoic-Cenozoic (post-Gondwanan) rift system filled with sediments (up to 10,000-15,000 m). Under the ice shelf of the Ross Sea, on Mary Byrd Land and Victoria Land, thick Cenozoic alkali-basalt volcanic rocks (traps) have been identified. In the Neogene-Quaternary time, on the eastern side of the rift system (off the coast of Victoria Land), the volcanic cones Erebus (currently active) and Terror (extinct) were formed. In the Holocene, a general uplift of the continent occurs, as evidenced by the presence of ancient coastlines and terraces with the remains of marine organisms.

Deposits of hard coal (the Commonwealth Cape area) and iron ores (Prince Charles Mountains), as well as occurrences of ores of chromium, titanium, copper, molybdenum, and beryllium, have been identified. Veins of rock crystal.

Climate. In addition to coastal areas, a polar continental climate dominates. Despite the fact that the polar night continues in Central Antarctica for several winter months, the annual total radiation approaches the annual total radiation of the equatorial zone: the Vostok station - 5 GJ / m 2, or 120 kcal / cm 2, and in summer it reaches very large values ​​- up to 1.25 GJ / m 2 per month, or 30 kcal / cm 2 per month. Up to 90% of the incoming heat is reflected by the snow surface, and only 10% is used to heat it. Therefore, the radiation balance of Antarctica is negative, and the air temperature is very low. The climate of the central part of the mainland differs sharply from the climate of the plateau, its slope and coast. On the plateau, severe frosts are constant in clear weather and light winds. The average temperature of the winter months is from -60 to -70°С; the minimum temperature at Vostok station, measured on 21.7.1983, reached -89.2°С. Sharp katabatic winds and strong snowstorms are frequent on the glacial slope; average monthly temperatures from -30 to -50°С. In a narrow coastal zone, average monthly temperatures in winter are from -8 to -35°С, in summer (the warmest month is January) from 0 to 5°С. Stock winds on the coast reach high speeds(on average per year up to 12 m/s), and when they merge with cyclones, they often turn into hurricanes (up to 50-60, and sometimes up to 90 m/s). Due to the predominance of descending currents, the relative humidity of the air is 60-80%, on the coast and in the oases - up to 20%, and sometimes up to 5%. Cloudiness is negligible. Precipitation is almost exclusively in the form of snow - from 20-50 mm in the center to 600-900 mm per year on the coast. In the region of Antarctica, a noticeable warming of the climate has been noted. In West Antarctica, there is an intensive destruction of ice shelves with giant icebergs breaking off.

Inland waters. Antarctic lakes are peculiar, mainly in coastal oases. Many of them are endorheic, with high salinity of water, up to bitter-salty. Some lakes are not freed from the ice cover even in summer. Lakes-lagoons are characteristic, lying between coastal cliffs and an ice shelf, under which they are connected with the sea. Some lakes are located in the mountains at an altitude of up to 1000 m (Taylor oases, Voltat massifs in Queen Maud Land and Victoria in Victoria Land).

Flora and fauna. All of Antarctica with coastal islands is located in the zone of the Antarctic deserts, which explains the extreme poverty of flora and fauna. In the mountains, the altitudinal zonality of landscapes can be traced. In the low mountains, covering the coast with ice shelves, oases and nunataks, almost all organic life is concentrated. The most typical inhabitants of Antarctica are penguins: emperor, royal, Adelie, Papua (see Antarctic region). In the middle mountains (up to a height of 3000 m), lichens and algae grow in places on rocks that warm up in summer; wingless insects are found. Above 3000 m there are almost no signs of plant and animal life.

History of geographical research. The discovery of Antarctica as a continent belongs to the Russian round-the-world naval expedition led by F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev, who approached Antarctica on the sloops Vostok and Mirny on January 28, 1820. The Russian expedition discovered Peter I Island, Alexander I Land and several islands in the South Shetland Islands group. In 1820-21 English and American hunting vessels (led by E. Bransfield and N. Palmer) were near the Antarctic Peninsula (Graham Land). The voyage around Antarctica and the discovery of Enderby Land, Adelaide and Biscoe Islands were made in 1831-33 by the English navigator J. Biscoe. In 1838-42, three scientific expeditions visited Antarctica: French (J. Dumont-Durville), American (C. Wilks) and English (J. Ross). The first discovered Louis-Philippe Land, Joinville Land, Adele Land and Clary Land (landed on coastal cliffs for the first time); the second is Wilkes Land; the third - Victoria Land and offshore islands, and also for the first time passed along the Ross Glacier, calculated the location of the South Magnetic Pole. After a 50-year lull, interest in Antarctica arose in the late 19th century. Several expeditions visited Antarctica: the Scottish - on the ship "Balena" (1893), which discovered the coast of Oscar II; Norwegian - on the "Jason" and "Antarctic" (1893-94), discovered the coast of Lars Christensen and landed in the area of ​​Cape Adair; Belgian - under the leadership of A. Gerlache, wintering in Antarctica on the drifting ship "Belgica" (1897-1899), and English - on the "Southern Cross" (1898-99), organizing wintering at Cape Adair.

In 1901-04, along with marine research, the English expedition of R. Scott undertook the first major sledge journey from McMurdo Bay to the interior of the mainland (up to 82 ° 17 'south latitude); the German expedition of E. Drygalsky carried out winter observations off the coast of Wilhelm II Land discovered by it; the Scottish oceanographic expedition of W. Bruce on the ship "Skosha" in the eastern part of the Weddell Sea discovered Coats Land; the French expedition of J. Charcot on the ship "France" discovered the coast of the Loubet. Significant interest was aroused by campaigns to the South Pole: in 1908, the Englishman E. Shackleton traveled from McMurdo Bay to 88 ° 23 'south latitude; following from the eastern part of the Ross barrier, the Norwegian R. Amundsen for the first time (12/14-16/1911) reached the South Pole; Englishman R. Scott made a hike from McMurdo Bay and reached the South Pole second (January 18, 1912). On the way back, R. Scott and his companions died. The Australian expedition of D. Mawson from two land bases in 1911-14 studied the ice shelves of East Antarctica. In 1928, an American aircraft first appeared over Antarctica. In 1929, R. Baird flew from the Little America base he created over the South Pole. Mary Byrd Land was discovered from the air. The sea and land British-Australian-New Zealand Expedition (BANZARE) in 1929-31 conducted a study of the Knox coast and discovered Princess Elizabeth Land to the west of it.

During the 2nd International Polar Year, the expedition of R. Byrd (1933-35) worked in Little America, conducting glaciological and geological research in the mountains of Queen Maud Land and Mary Byrd Land during sledge trips and from an airplane. R. Baird spent a solitary wintering at the first remote weather station in the depths of the Ross Glacier; in 1935, L. Ellsworth made the first transantarctic flight from the Antarctic Peninsula to Little America. In the 1940s and 50s, an international network of ground stations and bases was created to study the marginal parts of the mainland. Since 1955, systematic coordinated research of Antarctica began, including 11 countries that created 57 bases and observation points. In 1955-58, the USSR carried out two sea and wintering expeditions (headed by M. M. Somov and A. F. Treshnikov) on the ships Ob and Lena (heads of sea expeditions V. G. Kort and I. V. Maksimov ); The scientific observatory Mirny was built (opened on February 13, 1956) and the stations Oasis, Pionerskaya, Vostok-1, Komsomolskaya and Vostok. In 1957-67, Soviet scientists carried out 13 sea and wintering expeditions and created a number of new stations.

Of the intracontinental trips of sledge-tractor trains from Mirny, the most significant were: in 1957 to the Geomagnetic Pole (A.F. Treshnikov), in 1958 to the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility (E.I. Tolstikov), in 1959 to the South Pole (A. G. Dralkin); in 1964 from the Vostok station to the Pole of relative inaccessibility and Molodyozhnaya station (A.P. Kapitsa) and in 1967 along the route Molodyozhnaya - Pole of relative inaccessibility - Novolazarevskaya station (I.G. Petrov). The results of the research made it possible to clarify the complex nature of the indigenous relief of East Antarctica, the features of organic life and the water mass of the Southern Ocean, and to draw up more accurate maps. Significant studies (including cartographic) were carried out by US scientists in West Antarctica, where, in addition to stationary observations, the Diefryz marine expeditions and numerous inland trips on all-terrain vehicles were organized. As a result of glaciological and geophysical studies, American scientists determined the nature of the subglacial relief of West Antarctica. In 1957-58, the British, together with New Zealand scientists, were the first to cross the mainland (under the leadership of V. Fuchs and E. Hillary) on tractors across the South Pole from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. A number of expeditions across the ice sheet were carried out by Belgian scientists (from the Baudouin station), and the French worked at the Charcot and Dumont-Durville stations.

The most fruitful period of Russian research in Antarctica was 1974-90s, when there was a transition from comprehensive national programs to long-term international scientific projects. Scientists from the GDR, Mongolia, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Cuba and other countries wintered at Soviet stations. At the American stations Amundsen-Scott, McMurdo, Australian - Mawson and Davis - meteorologists, geologists and geophysicists from the USSR carried out research. The participation of the USSR in the International Antarctic Glaciological Project (IAGP) included ultra-deep drilling of ice at the Vostok station in the framework of scientific and technical cooperation with France and the United States, radar measurements of ice thickness from an aircraft, systematic snow surveys, as well as complex glaciological studies in sledge-caterpillar hikes. In 1975, the implementation of the POLEX-South program began, aimed at developing the resources of the Southern Ocean. An expedition was carried out under the Soviet-American project "Polynya Weddell-81". The network of permanent scientific stations still remained the basis for obtaining data on the nature of Antarctica. In April 1988, the first wintering geological research station "Progress" was put into operation.

In the 1990s, as a result of a reduction in funding, there was a decline in Russian research in Antarctica: the number of expedition personnel decreased, a number of scientific programs were closed, scientific stations and field bases were mothballed. In 1992, based on the archive of Russian oceanographic data, together with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Germany), the Hydrographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean was published. One of the largest events in oceanology was the creation of the first Russian-American drifting research station "Weddell-1" (opened on February 12, 1992 on an ice floe in the southwestern part of the Weddell Sea). In accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation (1998), scientific research in the Antarctic since 1999 has been carried out within the framework of the subprogram "Study and Research of the Antarctic" of the Federal Target Program "World Ocean". The rapid development of modern research methods at the beginning of the 21st century led to the renewal of the scientific program for the study of Antarctica as an element of the global system for monitoring and forecasting the state of the environment. A characteristic feature is the strengthening of international cooperation. Geological and geophysical work is being carried out in the mountains on international geotraverses: ANTALIT in the area of ​​the Lambert and Amery glaciers and GEOMOD in the central part of Queen Maud Land. The Bunger oasis contains a collection of cores, unique for Antarctica in terms of representativeness and completeness, with continuous sections of bottom sediments up to 13.8 m thick. solid ice) and complex paleogeographic studies of the ice core, which made it possible to reconstruct in detail the history of the climate and atmosphere of the Earth over 420 thousand years, highlighting four ice ages and five interglacial ones, including the 11th marine isotope stage. A huge subglacial lake has been discovered in the area of ​​the Vostok station.

The most significant international projects and programs also include the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS); Program for the Study of Cenozoic Stratigraphy of the Antarctic Continental Margin (ANTOSTRAT); Antarctic Ozone Research Program (TRACE); Antarctic Marine Biology Observation Program (BIOMASS); Antarctic Geophysical Observation Network (AGONET), etc.

Lit .: Bellingshausen F. F. Double surveys in the Southern Arctic Ocean and sailing around the world ... M., 1960; The first Russian Antarctic expedition 1819-1821 and its reporting navigation map. L., 1963; Treshnikov A.F. History of discovery and exploration of Antarctica. M., 1963; Geography of Antarctica. M., 1968; Frolov AI Mainland Antarctica according to geophysical research data. M., 1971; Simonov I.M. Oases of East Antarctica. M., 1971; Zotikov I. A. Thermal regime of the ice cover of Antarctica. M., 1977; Grikurov G.E., Kamenev E.N., Ravich M.G. Tectonic zoning and geological evolution of Antarctica. L., 1978; Averyanov VG Glacioclimatology of Antarctica. M., 1990; Geological evolution of Antarctica/Ed. by M. R. A. Thomson, J. A. Crank, J. W. Thomson. Camb.; N.Y., 1991; Stump E. The Ross orogen of the Transantarctic mountains. Camb.; N.Y., 1995; Kotlyakov V.M. Glaciology of Antarctica. M., 2000; Khain V. E. Tectonics of continents and oceans (year 2000). M., 2001.

V. M. Kotlyakov; N. A. Bozhko (geological structure and minerals).

Opening

Antarctica was officially discovered on January 16 (28), 1820 by a Russian expedition led by Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, who approached it on the sloops Vostok and Mirny at the point 69°21′ S. sh. 2°14′ W (G) (O) (area of ​​the modern Bellingshausen Ice Shelf). Previously, the existence of the southern mainland (lat. Terra Australis) was asserted hypothetically, it was often combined with South America (for example, on a map compiled by Piri Reis in 1513) and Australia (named after the “southern mainland”). However, it was the expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev in the south polar seas, having circled the Antarctic ice around the world, confirmed the existence of the sixth continent.

The first to enter the continental part on January 24, 1895 were the captain of the Norwegian ship "Antarctic" Christensen and the teacher of natural sciences Karsten Borchgrevink.

Status of Antarctica

Cape Hanna In accordance with the Convention on Antarctica, signed on December 1, 1959 and entered into force on June 23, 1961, Antarctica does not belong to any state. Only scientific activities are allowed.

The deployment of military installations, as well as the entry of warships and armed vessels south of the 60th degree of latitude, are prohibited. In the 80s of the XX century, Antarctica was also declared a nuclear-free zone, which excluded the appearance of nuclear-powered ships in its waters, and nuclear power units on the mainland. Now the parties to the treaty are 28 states (with the right to vote) and dozens of observer countries.

Mainland Antarctica

The coldest continent on our planet is considered to be Antarctica. Antarctica is also called the part of the world of the planet, which includes the mainland itself and the adjacent islands. In this article, consider Antarctica as a mainland. This continent was discovered by a Russian expedition in January 1820. The mainland is located in the very south of the planet. Translated from Greek, Antarctica means "opposite the Arctic" or "opposite the north." Approximately the center of the mainland falls on the location of the south pole of the Earth. The continent is washed by the southern part of the waters of three oceans: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, since 2000 this territory of waters has become known as the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is characterized by strong winds and storms.

The area of ​​this continent is approximately 14.107 million km2. In terms of its average height (2040 m), Antarctica ranks first among the continents. The only thing to consider is that this height is achieved thanks to glaciers, while the land of this continent is located much lower than this figure. Therefore, the first place in terms of land height is given to the mainland of Eurasia. And in the central part, the ice cover can reach more than 4,000 meters in height. If we compare the amount of ice on Antarctica with the ice reserves on the entire planet, then Antarctica contains 90% of all the ice reserves of the planet. Also in these Ices is stored 80% of the total supply of fresh water on the planet. If all the glaciers of the mainland melt, this will lead to an increase in the water level in all oceans by 60 meters, and Antarctica itself will become an archipelago (cluster of islands).

Relief

Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth, the average height of the surface of the continent above sea level is more than 2000 m, and in the center of the continent it reaches 4000 meters. Most of this height is the permanent ice cover of the continent, under which the continental relief is hidden, and only 0.3% (about 40 thousand km²) of its area is free of ice - mainly in West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains: islands, coastal areas, etc. n. "dry valleys" and individual ridges and mountain peaks (nunataks) rising above the ice surface.

The Transantarctic Mountains, crossing almost the entire continent, divide Antarctica into two parts - West Antarctica and East Antarctica, which have a different origin and geological structure. In the east there is a high (the highest elevation of the ice surface is ~4100 m above sea level) ice-covered plateau. The western part consists of a group of mountainous islands connected by ice. On the Pacific coast are the Antarctic Andes, whose height exceeds 4000 m; the highest point of the continent - 5140 m above sea level - the Vinson Massif in the Ellsworth Mountains. The deepest depression of the continent, the Bentley Basin, is also located in West Antarctica, probably of rift origin. The depth of the Bentley depression, filled with ice, reaches 2555 m below sea level.

Under-ice relief

The study using modern methods made it possible to learn more about the subglacial relief of the southern continent. As a result of the research, it turned out that about a third of the mainland lies below the level of the world ocean, the research also showed the presence of mountain ranges and massifs.

The western part of the continent has a complex relief and large elevation changes. Here are the highest mountain (Mount Vinson 5140 m) and the deepest depression (Bentley trough −2555 m) in Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is a continuation of the South American Andes, which stretch towards the South Pole, slightly deviating from it to the western sector.

The eastern part of the mainland has a predominantly smooth relief, with separate plateaus and mountain ranges up to 3–4 km high. In contrast to the western part, composed of young Cenozoic rocks, the eastern part is a projection of the crystalline basement of the platform that was previously part of Gondwana.

The continent has relatively low volcanic activity. The largest volcano is Mount Erebus on Ross Island in the sea of ​​the same name.

NASA's subglacial surveys have discovered a crater of asteroid origin in Antarctica. The diameter of the funnel is 482 km. The crater was formed when an asteroid with a diameter of about 48 kilometers (larger than Eros) fell to Earth, about 250 million years ago, in the Permian-Triassic period. The asteroid did not cause severe harm to the nature of the Earth, but the dust raised during the fall led to centuries of cooling and the death of most of the flora and fauna of that era. This crater is by far the largest on Earth.

ice sheet

The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest on our planet and exceeds the nearest Greenland ice sheet in area by approximately 10 times. It contains ~30 million km³ of ice, that is, 90% of all land ice. Due to the gravity of the ice, as studies by geophysicists show, the continent sank by an average of 0.5 km, as evidenced by its relatively deep shelf. The ice sheet in Antarctica contains about 80% of all fresh water on the planet; if it melts completely, global sea levels would rise by almost 60 meters (for comparison: if the Greenland ice sheet melted, ocean levels would rise by only 8 meters).

The ice sheet is dome-shaped with an increase in the steepness of the surface towards the coast, where it is framed in many places by ice shelves. The average thickness of the ice layer is 2500–2800 m, reaching a maximum value in some areas of East Antarctica – 4800 m. The accumulation of ice on the ice sheet leads, as in the case of other glaciers, to the flow of ice into the coast of the continent; ice breaks off in the form of icebergs. The annual volume of ablation is estimated at 2500 km³.

A feature of Antarctica is a large area of ​​ice shelves (low (blue) areas of West Antarctica), which is ~10% of the area rising above sea level; these glaciers are the source of icebergs of record size, much larger than those of the outlet glaciers of Greenland; for example, in 2000, the largest iceberg B-15 known at the moment (2005) with an area of ​​over 10 thousand km² broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf. In winter (summer in the Northern Hemisphere), the area of ​​sea ice around Antarctica increases to 18 million km², and in summer it decreases to 3–4 million km².

The ice sheet of Antarctica was formed about 14 million years ago, which was apparently facilitated by the rupture of the bridge connecting South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, which, in turn, led to the formation of the Antarctic circumpolar current (Western Winds current) and the isolation of Antarctic waters from Oceans - these waters make up the so-called Southern Ocean.

Climate

On the coast, especially in the area of ​​the Antarctic Peninsula, the air temperature reaches -10 -12 C in summer, and on average in the warmest month (January) it is 1 C, 2 C.

In winter (July) on the coast, the average monthly temperature ranges from -8 on the Antarctic Peninsula to -35 C at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf.

Due to the predominance of descending currents, the relative air humidity is low (60–80%), near the coast and, especially in the Antarctic oases, it decreases to 20 and even 5%. Relatively little cloud cover. Precipitation falls almost exclusively in the form of snow: in the center of the mainland, their amount reaches 30–50 mm per year, in the lower part of the continental slope it increases to 600–700 mm, slightly decreases at its foot (up to 400–500 mm) and again increases by some ice shelves and on the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula (up to 700–800 and even 1000 mm). Due to strong winds and heavy snowfalls, blizzards are very frequent.

Despite global warming, over the past 35 years, the temperature in Antarctica has dropped significantly. The air temperature at the surface decreases by 0.7 °C every ten years. The overall decrease in temperature in Antarctica is a mystery to scientists, since most climate change scenarios assume that the polar regions of the planet should be exposed to global warming faster and more intensively. In the 21st century, the process of melting of Antarctica is considered unlikely. Perhaps due to the high amount of precipitation, the Antarctic ice sheet will even increase. However, the melting of Antarctica is possible in the following centuries, especially if humanity fails to slow down the process of global warming in advance.

Inland waters

Due to the fact that not only average annual, but even summer temperatures in most areas, temperatures in Antarctica do not exceed zero degrees, precipitation there falls only in the form of snow (rain is an extremely rare occurrence). It forms an ice cover (snow is compressed under its own weight) with a thickness of more than 1700 m, in some places reaching 4300 m. Up to 90% of the entire fresh water of the Earth is concentrated in the Antarctic ice.

In the 1990s of the XX century, Russian scientists discovered the ice-free ice-free Vostok Lake - the largest of the Antarctic lakes, having a length of 250 km and a width of 50 km; the lake holds about 5400 thousand km³ of water.

In January 2006, geophysicists Robin Bell and Michael Studinger from the American Lamont-Doherty Geophysical Observatory discovered the second and third largest subglacial lakes, with an area of ​​​​2000 km² and 1600 km², respectively, located at a depth of about 3 km from the surface of the continent. They reported that this could have been done sooner if the data from the 1958–1959 Soviet expedition had been analyzed more carefully. In addition to these data, satellite data, radar readings and measurements of the force of gravity on the surface of the continent were used. In total, in 2007, more than 140 subglacial lakes were discovered in Antarctica.

Flora of Antarctica

The flora of Antarctica, due to special climatic conditions, is extremely poor. Most of all there are algae - about 700 species. The coast of the mainland and its plains, free from ice, are covered with mosses and lichens. But there are only two types of flowering plants. These are colobanthus kito and antarctic meadow grass.

Colobanthus kito belongs to the clove family. It is a cushion-shaped herbaceous plant with small white and pale yellow flowers. The growth of an adult plant does not exceed 5 cm.

Meadow antarctic belongs to the grass family. It grows only in areas of land that are well lit by the sun. Meadow bushes can grow up to 20 cm. The plant itself tolerates frost very well. Frost does not harm the plant even during flowering.

All plants of Antarctica have successfully adapted to the eternal cold. Their cells contain little water, and all processes are very slow.

Animal world of Antarctica

The peculiarity of the fauna of Antarctica is directly related to its climate. All animals live only where there is vegetation. Despite the severity of climatic conditions, a person was even born in Antarctica (this happened in 1978). And excavations have shown that dinosaurs once lived on this mainland.

Conventionally, all Antarctic animals can be divided into two groups: terrestrial and aquatic, and there are no completely terrestrial animals in Antarctica.

The waters around the mainland are rich in zooplankton, which is the main food for whales and seals, fur seals and penguins. Ice fish also live here - amazing creatures that have adapted to life in icy water.

Of the large animals, blue whales most often visit the shores of Antarctica, which are attracted by the abundance of shrimp. Roundworms and blue-green algae inhabit the fresh waters of the lakes, as well as copepods and daphnia.

The world of birds is represented by penguins, arctic terns and skuas. There are 4 species of penguins in Antarctica. The largest population is the emperor penguins. Petrels also fly to the southern mainland.

There are also few mammals. Basically, these are animals that can live on land and in water. Most of all in Antarctica seals. Leopard seals, elephant seals and Rossa also live on the coast. Of the dolphin family, there are only small groups of black-and-white or sand-colored dolphins, known among whalers under the name "sea cows".

That's who there are a lot of - so it's invertebrate arthropods. In Antarctica, 67 species of ticks and 4 species of lice were found. There are fleas, lice and the ubiquitous mosquitoes. And wingless jingle-black mosquitoes live only in Antarctica. These are the only endemic insects that can be classified as completely land animals. Most of the insects and invertebrates were brought to the shores of the southern continent by birds.

Sights of Antarctica

• Glaciers of Antarctica. Paradise Harbor is a popular destination in Antarctica. Watching huge blocks of age-old glaciers and icebergs from the sides of inflatable boats is a spectacular sight.
• Islands of Antarctica. There is a place in Antarctica that is of particular interest to volcanologists, hunters and travelers - Deception Island. It is an extinct volcano and has the shape of a horseshoe.
• bloody waterfall. An unusual attraction for icy Antarctica is the Bloody Falls. Streams of red water, with a high concentration of salts and iron oxide, flow down the surface of the glacier, originating in one of the Antarctic lakes.
• Church of the Whalers. Another well-known place in Antarctica is the Whaling Church, built in neo-Gothic style back in 1913 next to the whaling station. Despite the full functionality, after the restoration in 1998, it is practically not used today, but it has been preserved for posterity as a monument.
• Mountains of Antarctica. The Queen Maud mountain range rises 3,000 meters above sea level. The system was discovered by the expedition of R. Amundsen, named after the Norwegian queen.
• Drake Passage. Drake Passage was named after an English pirate sailor who sailed in this place in the middle of 1578. It is the deepest and widest strait in the world.
• Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, located in an ice cave, is located at the Belgrano Arctic research base. This is the "coldest" temple among all religions known on earth.
• Penguins in Antarctica. And, of course, the most important and pretty attraction of Antarctica is the king penguins, without which it is impossible to imagine this region.

Tourism in Antarctica

Given the extremely difficult climatic conditions in Antarctica, tourism here is completely dependent on the season and is possible only for a few months of the year. In general, this is the period from November to March, however, certain types of tours to Antarctica are held only at the "crown" of the southern hemisphere summer.

Cruises to the near-Antarctic regions (South Shetland and Falkland Islands, the South Georgia Archipelago, the Antarctic Peninsula and the continental seas) are held from November to March. Cruises in the eastern part of Antarctica, where the huge Ross Ice Shelf and memorable places dedicated to the history of the conquest of the mainland are located, are available in January-February, when the ice melts here. Conquest of the South Pole by plane (option: by plane and skis) is possible only at the peak of the Antarctic summer - in December-January.

Video

Sources

https://tonkosti.ru/Antarctica https://seasons-years.rf/nature of Antarctica.html http://chudesnyemesta.ru/antarktida-dostoprimechatelnosti/ http://veter-s.ru/article/antarktida-opisanie -place

Antarctica- a continent located in the very south of the Earth, the center of Antarctica approximately coincides with the geographic south pole. Antarctica is washed by the waters of the Southern Ocean.
The area of ​​the continent is about 14,107,000 km² (of which ice shelves - 930,000 km², islands - 75,500 km²).

Antarctica is also called the part of the world, consisting of the mainland of Antarctica and adjacent islands.

Map of Antarctica - open

Opening

Antarctica was officially discovered on January 16 (28), 1820 by a Russian expedition led by Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, who on the sloops Vostok and Mirny approached it at the point 69°21′S sh. 2°14′ W d.(G) (O) (area of ​​present-day Bellingshausen Ice Shelf). Previously, the existence of the southern mainland (lat. Terra Australis) was asserted hypothetically, it was often combined with South America (for example, on a map compiled by Piri Reis in 1513) and Australia (named after the “southern mainland”). However, it was the expedition of Bellingshausen and Lazarev in the south polar seas, having circled the Antarctic ice around the world, confirmed the existence of the sixth continent.

The first to enter the continental part on January 24, 1895 were the captain of the Norwegian ship "Antarctic" Christensen and the teacher of natural sciences Karsten Borchgrevink.

Geographic division

The territory of Antarctica is divided into geographical areas and areas discovered years earlier by various travelers. The area explored and named after the discoverer (or others) is called "land".

The official list of lands of Antarctica:

• Queen Maud Land
• Wilkes Land
• Victoria Land
• Land Mary Byrd
• Ellsworth Land

Relief

Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth, the average height of the surface of the continent above sea level is more than 2000 m, and in the center of the continent it reaches 4000 meters. Most of this height is the permanent ice cover of the continent, under which the continental relief is hidden, and only 0.3% (about 40 thousand km²) of its area is free of ice - mainly in West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains: islands, coastal areas, etc. n. "dry valleys" and individual ridges and mountain peaks (nunataks) rising above the ice surface. The Transantarctic Mountains, crossing almost the entire continent, divide Antarctica into two parts - West Antarctica and East Antarctica, which have a different origin and geological structure. In the east there is a high (the highest elevation of the ice surface is ~4100 m above sea level) ice-covered plateau. The western part consists of a group of mountainous islands connected by ice. On the Pacific coast are the Antarctic Andes, whose height exceeds 4000 m; the highest point of the continent - 5140 m above sea level - the Vinson massif in the Ellsworth mountains. In West Antarctica there is also the deepest depression of the continent - the Bentley depression, probably of rift origin. The depth of the Bentley depression, filled with ice, reaches 2555 m below sea level.

Under-ice relief

The study using modern methods made it possible to learn more about the subglacial relief of the southern continent. As a result of the research, it turned out that about a third of the mainland lies below the level of the world ocean, the research also showed the presence of mountain ranges and massifs.

The western part of the continent has a complex relief and large elevation changes. Here are the highest mountain (Mount Vinson 5140 m) and the deepest depression (Bentley trough −2555 m) in Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is a continuation of the South American Andes, which stretch towards the South Pole, slightly deviating from it to the western sector.

The eastern part of the mainland has a predominantly smooth relief, with separate plateaus and mountain ranges up to 3-4 km high. In contrast to the western part, composed of young Cenozoic rocks, the eastern part is a projection of the crystalline basement of the platform that was previously part of Gondwana.

The continent has relatively low volcanic activity. The largest volcano is Mount Erebus on Ross Island in the sea of ​​the same name.

NASA's subglacial surveys have discovered a crater of asteroid origin in Antarctica. The diameter of the funnel is 482 km. The crater was formed when an asteroid with a diameter of about 48 kilometers (larger than Eros) fell to Earth, about 250 million years ago, in the Permian-Triassic period. The asteroid did not cause severe harm to the nature of the Earth, but the dust raised during the fall led to centuries of cooling and the death of most of the flora and fauna of that era. This crater is by far the largest on Earth.

ice sheet

The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest on our planet and exceeds the nearest Greenland ice sheet in area by approximately 10 times. It contains ~30 million km³ of ice, that is, 90% of all land ice. Due to the gravity of the ice, as studies by geophysicists show, the continent sank by an average of 0.5 km, as evidenced by its relatively deep shelf. The ice sheet in Antarctica contains about 80% of all fresh water on the planet; if it melts completely, global sea levels would rise by almost 60 meters (for comparison: if the Greenland ice sheet melted, ocean levels would rise by only 8 meters).

The ice sheet is dome-shaped with an increase in the steepness of the surface towards the coast, where it is framed in many places by ice shelves. The average thickness of the ice layer is 2500-2800 m, reaching a maximum value in some areas of East Antarctica - 4800 m. The accumulation of ice on the ice sheet leads, as in the case of other glaciers, to the flow of ice into the ablation (destruction) zone, which is coast of the continent; ice breaks off in the form of icebergs. The annual volume of ablation is estimated at 2500 km³.

A feature of Antarctica is a large area of ​​ice shelves (low (blue) areas of West Antarctica), which is ~10% of the area rising above sea level; these glaciers are the source of icebergs of record size, much larger than those of the outlet glaciers of Greenland; for example, in 2000, the largest iceberg B-15 known at the moment (2005) with an area of ​​over 10 thousand km² broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf. In winter (summer in the Northern Hemisphere), the area of ​​sea ice around Antarctica increases to 18 million km², and in summer it decreases to 3-4 million km².

The ice sheet of Antarctica was formed about 14 million years ago, which was apparently facilitated by the rupture of the bridge connecting South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, which, in turn, led to the formation of the Antarctic circumpolar current (Western Winds current) and the isolation of Antarctic waters from the World ocean - these waters make up the so-called Southern Ocean.

Climate

Antarctica has an extremely harsh cold climate. In East Antarctica, at the Soviet Antarctic station Vostok on July 21, 1983, the lowest air temperature on Earth in the entire history of meteorological measurements was recorded: 89.2 degrees below zero. The area is considered the cold pole of the Earth. The average temperatures of the winter months (June, July, August) are from -60 to -70 °С, summer (December, January, February) from -30 to -50 °С; on the coast in winter from -8 to -35 °С, in summer 0-5 °С.

Another feature of the meteorology of East Antarctica is katabatic (katabatic) winds, due to its dome-shaped topography. These steady southerly winds occur on rather steep slopes of the ice sheet due to the cooling of the air layer near the ice surface, the density of the near-surface layer increases, and it flows down the slope under the action of gravity. The thickness of the air flow layer is usually 200-300 m; due to the large amount of ice dust carried by the wind, horizontal visibility in such winds is very low. The strength of the katabatic wind is proportional to the steepness of the slope and reaches its highest values ​​in coastal areas with a high slope towards the sea. The katabatic winds reach their maximum strength in the Antarctic winter - from April to November they blow almost continuously around the clock, from November to March - at night or when the Sun is low above the horizon. In summer, during the daytime, due to the heating of the near-surface air layer by the sun, katabatic winds near the coast stop.

Data on temperature changes from 1981 to 2007 show that the temperature background in Antarctica has changed unevenly. For West Antarctica, as a whole, an increase in temperature is observed, while for East Antarctica, no warming has been detected, and even a slight decrease has been noted. It is unlikely that in the XXI century the process of melting of the glaciers of Antarctica will increase significantly. On the contrary, the amount of snow falling on the Antarctic ice sheet is expected to increase as temperatures rise. However, due to warming, a more intensive destruction of ice shelves and an acceleration of the movement of outlet glaciers of Antarctica, which throw ice into the World Ocean, are possible.

Population

In the 19th century, several whaling bases existed on the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. Subsequently, they were all abandoned.

The harsh climate of Antarctica prevents its settlement. Currently, there is no permanent population in Antarctica, there are several dozen scientific stations at which, depending on the season, from 4000 people live (150 Russian citizens) in summer and about 1000 in winter (about 100 Russian citizens).

In 1978, the first man of Antarctica, Emilio Marcos Palma, was born at the Esperanza station in Argentina.

Antarctica assigned internet top-level domain .aq and telephone prefix +672 .

Status of Antarctica

In accordance with the Antarctic Convention, signed on December 1, 1959 and entered into force on June 23, 1961, Antarctica does not belong to any state. Only scientific activities are allowed.

The deployment of military installations, as well as the entry of warships and armed vessels south of 60 degrees south latitude, are prohibited.

In the 1980s, Antarctica was also declared a nuclear-free zone, which excluded the appearance of nuclear-powered ships in its waters, and nuclear power units on the mainland.

Now the parties to the treaty are 28 states (with the right to vote) and dozens of observer countries.

Did you learn interesting facts about Antarctica in geography school? Surely yes. Then you should know that Antarctica is the largest desert on the planet. At the same time, it still remains a white spot on geographical maps. For the continent is surrounded by riddles and mysteries. For example, many scientists believe that the mainland is actually the lost Atlantis. You will learn many more interesting facts about the mainland Antarctica in the process of reading the article. Let's talk about everything in order.

pioneers

Antarctica is the sixth continent of the Earth. Moreover, it was opened much later than all the others.

It is believed that the first scientist in Antarctica was Karsten Borchgrevink from Norway. But there is evidence that Bellingshausen and Lazarev were the first to set foot on the harsh continent with their expedition. It was at the very beginning of January 1820. To be honest, the existence of the mainland was a real surprise for them. For earlier everyone was sure that this territory was an archipelago or a group of islands.

A century later, the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the South Pole.

And only a few decades later, scientists began to closely engage in Antarctica, creating scientific bases.

Geography of the continent

The territory of the mainland is the most severe region of the planet. More than 99% of the continent is covered with ice. Their thickness reaches 4.5 kilometers. In Antarctica, low air temperatures (up to -70 degrees) prevail. February is considered the most "summer" month. Although in the prehistoric era the climate of the mainland was very warm. Palm trees even grew here.

Now there are often snow storms and strong winds. Nevertheless, Antarctica is not only the coldest place on the planet, but also the driest. The combination of dryness and cold reaches the absolute there.

There are mountainous regions in the territory. Moreover, scientists even discovered two volcanoes. One of them - Erebus - is the southernmost volcano on the planet. And he is active.

Minerals have also been found here. We are talking about coal, iron ore, mica, copper, lead, zinc and graphite.

Bloody waterfall, Onyx and transparent sea

About 80% of the planet's fresh water reserves are located in the ice sheet of the continent.

There are also reservoirs here. So, on the mainland there is the Weddell Sea. It is recognized as the cleanest in the world. The water is so transparent that through its thickness you can see objects that are at a depth of 80 m!

As for the rivers, the most famous is the Onyx River. Its length is almost forty kilometers. True, it flows only for two months and in the summer.

Also located in Antarctica a large number of subglacial lakes. The most famous is Lake Vostok, 250 km long and 50 km wide.

Of course, there are many glaciers on the mainland. One of them gives rise to the so-called Bloody Falls. The water has a high iron content. This gives it a beautiful blood-red color. By the way, the water never freezes there.

iceberg land

What else is Antarctica known for? For children, an interesting fact will be that this is the land of icebergs. Here they reach a truly record size. So, one of them broke away in 2000. Its length was almost 300 kilometers, and its width was 37. The weight of the "floe" was three billion tons. This iceberg was larger in area than Jamaica! Interestingly, part of this iceberg has not yet melted.

And more recently, a giant iceberg, having broken off, went on a free journey. It is an order of magnitude smaller than the ice floe in 2000. But scientists believe that if you melt it, you can easily fill about 460 million artificial pools. Or, say, fill the famous Lake Michigan in the United States. By the way, this body of water is one of the largest lakes in the world.

The continent is hospitable to fur seals, blue whales and killer whales. "Whites" also live in the water. These are the so-called ice fish. Their blood is colorless, since there is no hemoglobin and red blood cells in the body. But still, the most numerous species of inhabitants of this territory are crustaceans, or krill. Their number is measured in tons. This is the largest population in the world! By the way, Uruguayan doctors use krill powder in the treatment of their patients. Thanks to this drug, people tend to quickly part with excess cholesterol.

By the way, researchers from Chile were able to prove that the emperor penguins of Antarctica, interesting facts about which we are considering, feed exclusively on these crustaceans. That is why they do not suffer from atherosclerosis!

By the way, these birds live only in Antarctica. They are mainly engaged in hunting in the water and can swim away even for tens of kilometers. Emperor penguins are solitary and only form large colonies during the breeding season. This is when the Antarctic winter comes.

In general, Antarctica is more than poor in land animals. There are no reptiles here, but ants live. And polar bears do not live here at all, but in the Arctic. Although recently a number of scientists have already thought about populating this southern continent with them.

Antarctic population

For obvious reasons, there are no permanent residents here. But on the other hand, scientists live and work in this inhospitable territory. In summer, their number is about 5 thousand people. In winter, this figure decreases several times. They say that specialists live more than amicably. In any case, there are already registered interethnic marriages.

And in 1978, seven Argentine families arrived on the mainland. They wanted to see how long they could survive in these difficult conditions. Jokes aside, but Emilio Marcos Palma turned out to be the first representative of the stronger sex who was born on this uninhabitable continent.

True, Antarctica is not at all isolated from the outside world. There is also the Internet, and television, and a telephone connection with a code, and an ATM. It also has its own currency. It's called the Antarctic dollar. There is also a bar. In fact, it is considered the most inaccessible drinking establishment on the entire planet. By the way, the diet of specialists also includes a foamy drink - beer.

There are several Christian churches in Antarctica. One of them is a Russian Orthodox church.

At one time, a nuclear power plant, which belonged to the United States of America, also worked here.

By the way, before a person is going to go to the icy continent, he has to remove his wisdom teeth and appendix in order to minimize the risks of sudden inflammation. There are no operations. But one day, in 1961, a Soviet scientist was forced to operate on himself due to acute appendicitis. Fortunately, the surgery was successful.

Politics of Antarctica

There is no president and no government on the mainland. Antarctica does not belong to anyone at all. Although a number of powers at one time claimed ownership of this territory. But these plans were in vain.

A few years ago, representatives of a number of countries signed the so-called "Antarctic Treaty". The document proclaims this territory an international protected area or "natural reserve". Since then, the continent has been considered a demilitarized zone. Scientists of any state can only conduct research here.

Secrets of the Continent

Interesting facts about Antarctica do not end there. She is surrounded by secrets. So, at one time, researchers discovered some buildings here. Their dimensions were similar to those of the Egyptian pyramids of Giza. In addition, there are legends about the underground bases of Adolf Hitler. It is known that during the war the Fuhrer began to explore this territory.

Anyone who studies meteorites knows that there is no better place in this regard than Antarctica. The fact is that the fireballs that fell on the ice cover of the mainland are preserved much better than in any other place on the planet. So, in Antarctica, scientists discovered fragments of a meteorite from Mars. It was an unexpected discovery. After relevant research, scientists said that the mainland is similar to the red planet. In the sense that the territory of the continent is so similar to Mars that they began to use the icy continent as a model for Mars!

Antarctic tourism

Since 1980, the mainland has been accessible to tourists. Fortunately, there are many abandoned places that guests of the continent want to visit. For example, there is still a camp that was founded by the famous traveler R. Scott back in 1911. Such bases have already become a real tourist attraction.

In addition, wrecked ships are often found on the coast of Antarctica. As a rule, these are Spanish galleons of the 16th-17th centuries.

Well, one more interesting fact about Antarctica: a few years ago, musicians from the cult band Metallica arrived here as guests and tourists of the mainland. They even gave a concert for an audience of 120 people! The most interesting thing is that the members of the group were able to comply with the accepted international agreements related to environmental standards on the mainland. Namely - they did not use sound amplifiers. The latter was broadcast into the headphones of fans ...