 A
Fact File about Antarctica.
Area: 14,000,000 km2
Population: 1000 (none permanent)
Government: none, governed by Antarctic
Treaty System
Partial territory claims: Argentina,
Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom
Climate: Severe low temperatures vary with
latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is
colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic
Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in
January along the coast and average slightly below freezing
Terrain: About 98% thick continental ice
sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and
4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free
coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the
Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound;
glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and
floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Natural resources: iron ore, chromium,
copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and
hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none
presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by
commercial fisheries
Natural hazards: katabatic
(gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent
blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over
the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception
Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity
rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf
Environmental issues: in 1998, NASA
satellite data showed that the antarctic ozone hole was the largest on
record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found
that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the
DNA of icefish, an antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion
earlier was shown to harm one-celled antarctic marine plants; in 2002,
significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional
warming
The word Antarctica is derived from the Greek work,
'opposite to Arctic'. It is the continent surrounding the Earth's
south pole, and is the coldest place on Earth, almost entirely covered
by ice. It is also the world's largest desert.
Although there are many myths and speculation about a Terra
Australia
("Southern Land"), the first sighting of the continent occurred in 1820 and the first verified
landing in 1821 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian
Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
With an area of 13,200,000 kmē, Antarctica is the fifth
largest continent, after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.
However, it is by far the smallest in population, as it has no
permanent population at all. It is also the continent with the highest
average altitude, and the lowest average humidity of any continent on
Earth, as well as the lowest average temperature.
|
