Antarctica (from either Greek ἀνταρκτικός, "opposite the Arctic"; see too List of traditional Greek place names) is a continent surrounding the Earth's South Pole. These are a coldest place on earth and is almost completely covered by ice; however, these are likewise the world's big desert. These are does'nt to become confused by using a Arctic, which is located touching a Globe's North Pole on the opposite side of the planet.

Although myths & speculation all about the Terra Australis ("Southern Land") go back to antiquity, a number 1 ordinarily accepted sighting of a continent occurred inside 1820 & the number one verified landing around 1821 per Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. (Understand too History of Antarctica.)

By owning an area of 13,200,00Klick², Antarctica is the fifth big continent, when Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. Nevertheless, these are by far a smallest around population: indeed, it has no lasting people in the least. These are too a continent by owning a greatest typical altitude, and a last typical humidity of any continent on Earth, also when a last-place typical temperature.

It has been assigned a Internet ccTLD .aq.

Antarctic climate
Independent article: Climate of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest place olympian games. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into a continent, allowing a center cold & prohibitionist. There exists little precipitation over the continent, however ice there can survive for extended instance periods. 100% of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet that is, on average, Ii.Fivesome kilometers midst.

At a edge of the continent, heavy katabatic winds off the polar tableland typically blow at storm click. In the interior, even so, windspeeds come typically moderate.

Based on the latitude, yearn periods of constant darkness, or even constant sunshine, mean that climates familiar to man are non usually available on the continent.

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Antarctica

A continent of Antarctica is placed mostly to the south of the Antarctic Circle, surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Physically Antarctica is divided within 2 by mountains close to a neck between the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. A part of the continent west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is known as Western Antarctica and the remainder Eastern Antarctica, since they correspond about to the eastern & american hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian. American Antarctica is covered per West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Watch as well: Extreme points of Antarctica, Antarctica territories.

Population
Palmer Station

These are unremarkably guessed that at the given period there are at least 1,000 population sleep in Antarctica. This varies substantially by using year. Usually, stations apply their front yard united states's time zone, but not always; in which known, the base's UTC offset is listed. Although Antarctica has there is no lasting residents, a total of governments maintain lasting locate stations throughout the continent. Numerous of the stations come staffed around the season. These include:

Akademik Vernadsky Station, Galindez Island, (UKR) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, South Pole United States Antarctic Program Belgrano II, (* Bellingshausen Station, King George Island (* Bernardo O'Higgins Station, Antarctic Peninsula, Chilean Army. * Casey, Vincennes Bay (Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+8) Comandante Ferraz Station, King George Island (* Concordia Research Station, (75° S 123° E), * Dakshin Gangotri Station, Indian Antarctic Program Davis, Princess Elizabeth Land (Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+7) Dumont d'Urville Station ((UTC+10) Eduardo Frei Montalva Station and Villa Las Estrellas, King George Island, Chilean Air Force. * Esperanza (* General Artigas Station () Georg von Neumayer Station, () Great Wall Station () Halley Research Station (British Antarctic Survey Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (* Jubany, () Machu Picchu Research Station, Admiralty Bay, King George Island, summer base established within 1989. * Macquarie Island (Australian Antarctic Division) Maitri Station, (Indian Antarctic Program) Marambio Base, () [http://www.marambio.aq website] Mawson Station, Mac Robertson Land (Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+6) McMurdo Station, Ross Island () (UTC+12, follows New Zealand DST) Mirny Station () Mizuho Station () Molodezhnaya Station () Novolazarevskaya Station, Dronning Maud Land () Orcadas () Palmer Station, Anvers Island () (UTC-4, follows Chilean DST) Professor Julio Escudero base, King George Island. * Progress Station () Rothera Research Station (British Antarctic Survey (UTC-3) San Martín Station () SANAE (South African National Antarctic Expeditions), on the Fimbul Coastal Ice Shelf in Queen Maud Land * Saint Climent Ohridski () Scott Base, () (UTC+12, follows New Zealand DST) Showa Station () (GMT+3) Troll Station (Norwegian Polar Institute), () Vostok, Antarctica () (UTC+6) Zhongshan (Sun Yet-Sen) Station ()

Emilio Marcos Palma was the 1st human innate around Antarctica (Base Esperanza) around 1978, his parents existence sent there along by using sevener more families.

Tabletop icebergs in Antarctica

Communications
A international dialing code for Antarctica is +672.

Antarctica has wireless telephone services. There is a individual cell tower utilizing AMPS technology at Argentina's Marambio Base and an Entel Chile GSM tower on King George Island. Communications come otherwise limited to satellite modems.

Military
A Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature in Antarctica, such as a establishment of military bases & fortifications, a carrying away from military manoeuvres, or even a touching of any nature and severity of weapon. It permits a apply of war machine personnel or even even devices for research project or for any more peaceful purposes.

A United States military issues the Antarctica Service Medal to those members of the military machine or even civilians world health organization perform search duty on the Antarctica continent. A palm, including a winter-all over bar issued to victims world health organization remain on the continent for 2 complete, vi-year seasons, is properly awarded per United States Congress.

A exclusively documented big-shell land military maneuver was "Operación 90," undertaken 10 years prior to a Antarctic Treaty by the Argentinian military.