ABOUT

The continent of Antarctica makes upANTARTICA

most of
the Antarctic region. The Antarctic is a cold,
remote area in the Southern
Hemisphere encompassed by the Antarctic
Convergence. The Antarctic Convergence is an
uneven line of latitude where cold, northward-
flowing Antarctic waters meet the warmer waters
of the world’s oceans. The Antarctic covers
approximately 20 percent of the Southern
Hemisphere.
 PHYSICAL FEATURES
The Antarctic Ice Sheet dominates the region. It is the
largest single piece of ice on Earth. This ice sheet even
extends beyond the continent when snow and ice are at
their most extreme.

The ice surface dramatically grows in size from about

three million square kilometers (1.2 million square
miles) at the end of summer to about 19 million square
kilometers (7.3 million square miles) by winter. Ice
sheet growth mainly occurs at the coastal ice shelves,
primarily the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf.
 CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

While the Antarctic does not have permanent human residents, the region is
a busy outpost for a variety of research scientists. These scientists work
at government-supported research stations and come from dozens of
different countries. The number of scientists conducting research varies
throughout the year, from about 1,000 in winter to around 5,000 in summer.

Researchers from a variety of scientific backgrounds study the Antarctic not

only as a unique environment, but also as an indicator of broader global
processes. Geographers map the surface of the world’s coldest and most
isolated continent.
 ANIMAL IN ANTARTICA

Antarctica’s wildlife is diverse and

unique. It is the only continent on Earth
which has no terrestrial mammals, but is
home to a range of marine wildlife and
birds, including penguins! The most
common birds in Antarctica are
penguins. It is home to 18 different
species, including the Emperor Penguin.
 WEATHER OF ANTARTICA
Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth. The average temperature in the
interior throughout the year is about -57°C, with the minimum temperature being
-90°C during the winter season. Although the coast is warmer and temperatures
can reach a maximum of between -2°C and 8°C during the summer. It is, on
average, the coldest, windiest, and driest of all the continents on Earth.
Technically, Antarctica is a desert because it is so dry there; with an average
annual precipitation of just 166mm along the coastal regions, and even less when
moving further inland. With such cold conditions the snow hardly ever melts;
instead, it will mostly become compressed over time to form part of the ice sheet.
This is known as an ice cap climate (classified as a continent where the average
monthly temperature never exceeds 0°C).
This ice sheet is, on average, 1.6 km thick and covers about 98% of the entire
continent; this is nearly 90% of the entire world’s ice, so it’s no wonder the
Antarctic climate is so cold!
 THE ANTARCTIC TREATY
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries
whose scientists had been active in and around Antarctica during the International
Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded
to by many other nations. The total number of Parties to the Treaty is now 56.
Some important provisions of the Treaty:
•Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only
Art. I
•Freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica and cooperation toward that end… shall
continue
Art. II
•Scientific observations and results from Antarctica shall be exchanged and made freely
available
Art. III