Interesting facts about Antarctica

Interesting facts about Antarctica Is a great opportunity to learn more about geography. Antarctica is the southern polar region of our planet, bounded in the north by the Antarctic zone. It includes Antarctica and the adjacent territories of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

So, here are the most interesting facts about Antarctica.

1. The name "Antarctica" is a derivative of the Greek words and implies the area opposite to the Arctic: ἀντί - against and arktikos - northern.
2. Did you know that Antarctica's area reaches approximately 52 million km²?
3. Antarctica is the most severe climatic region on the planet, with the lowest temperatures, accompanied by powerful winds and snowstorms.
4. Due to the incredibly harsh weather conditions, you will not find a single land mammal here.
5. There are no freshwater fish in the Antarctic waters.
6. Antarctica contains about 70% of all fresh water in the world, which is represented here in the form of ice.
7. An interesting fact is that if all Antarctic ice melts, then the level of the world ocean will rise by more than 60 m!
8. The highest officially recorded temperature in Antarctica reached +20.75 ° C. It is worth noting that it was recorded near the northern tip of the mainland in 2020.
9. But the lowest temperature in history is an unimaginable -91.2 ° C (Queen Maud Land, 2013).
10. On the mainland Antarctica (see interesting facts about Antarctica), mosses, fungi and algae grow in some regions.
11. Antarctica is home to many lakes, which are home to unique microorganisms not found anywhere else in the world.
12. Economic activity in Antarctica is most developed in the fields of fishing and tourism.
13. Did you know that Antarctica is the only continent without an indigenous population?
14. In 2006, American scientists reported that the size of the ozone hole over Antarctica reaches a record 2,750,000 km²!
15. After conducting a series of studies, experts have concluded that Antarctica is gaining more ice than it is losing due to global warming.
16. Not many people know the fact that any activity here, with the exception of scientific, is prohibited.
17. Vinson Massif is the highest point of Antarctica - 4892 m.
18. Curiously, only chinstrap penguins remain and breed throughout the chinstrap winter.
19. The largest station on the continent, McMurdo station can accommodate over 1200 people.
20. More than 30,000 tourists visit Antarctica every year.

Watch the video: 10 interesting facts of Antarctica (November 2024).