ANTARCTICA

DONE BY SIMRAN, SAKSHI,

KEYUR, INSIYAH & TANMAY

INTRODUCTION
Antarctica, which means opposite the Arctic, lies

around the South Pole.

Antarctica is the southern-most continent on the Earth.
It is the 5th largest out of the 7 continents.
Antarctica is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Atlantic

Ocean and Pacific Ocean which together form the

Southern Ocean.
Antarctica, the last continent to be found, remained

hidden behind barriers of fog, storms and sea ice.

Physical Features
Antarctica would be the smallest continent if it did

not have an ice cap.

The ice cap of Antarctica is approximately 2,200

m thick.
The Antarctica ice cap is the largest reserve of

fresh water in the world, which contains about

70% of the worlds fresh water.
Mountains that have ice-free rocky areas are

known as dry valleys.

These valleys have been carved out by glaciers

and some contain lakes.

Natural Resources

The natural resources in Antarctica contain:

1.
Ice- Antarctic e potential to supply fresh water. It is also said

that this fresh water supply can be helpful to the countries

with less water.
2.
Coal- Coal is spread throughout the Transantarctic
Mountains.
3.
Metallic Minerals- Rock layers in Antarctica contain cobalt,
nickel, copper, iron and platinum.
4.
Petroleum- Petroleum deposits are formed when plants and
small animals are buried in a marine environment by sand
and mud.

CLIMATE
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and
driest place in Earth.
Antarctica is also known as the Polar
Dessert.
The coldest temperature recorded is
-89.2 degrees C.
As Antarctica is in the Southern
Hemisphere we, the Northern
Hemisphere face opposite seasons.
Blizzards are a regular in Antarctica.

VEGETATION
Few plants can tolerate the cold and dry condition

of Antarctica.
Some plants are:1. Moss- On the better drained, stony slopes of the

Antarctic Peninsula.
2. Lichen- More than 350 species of lichen are

known.
3. Grass- Also found in the Antarctic Peninsula.