Polar Regions of the Earth - Antarctica, Arctic Policy of Canada, Extreme Points of the Antarctic, Extreme Points of the Arctic, Geographical Pole, (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 43. Chapters: Antarctica, Arctic policy of Canada, Extreme points of the Antarctic, Extreme points of the Arctic, Geographical pole, Geographical zone, Jewish law in the polar regions, North Magnetic Pole, North Pole, Polar drift, Polar ice cap, Polar Libraries Colloquy, Polar route, Poles of astronomical bodies, Pole of Cold, Pole of inaccessibility, Polynya, South Magnetic Pole, South Pole. Excerpt: Antarctica ( or ) is Earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile (1.6 km) in thickness. Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached 89 C ( 129 F). There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades), bacteria, fungi, plants, and protista. Vegetation where it occurs is tundra. Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the...