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Photo by Cassie Matias. .

15 Great Facts about Antarctica

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest continent on the planet. It lies on the southernmost point of the planet. This icy expanse stretches out to cover more than 14 million square kilometers. This makes it the fifth largest continent in the world. It is situated almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle. This means that temperatures are consistently below zero throughout a majority of the year.

Such conditions make life relatively sparse compared to other regions in the world. Most people on Antarctica are researchers and tourists. Let’s have a look at the Top 15 Great Facts about Antarctica.

1. In Antarctica diamond dust floats in the air

Photo by NOAA. .

Diamond dust is made of tiny ice crystals that precipitate out of humid air near the Earth’s surface. It’s a little like an icy fog. As ice crystals hang suspended in the air, sunlight causes them to sparkle.

It creates a glittering effect that looks like a million tiny floating diamonds. Diamond dust is also responsible for beautiful optical phenomena like sun dogs, halos and light pillars.

2. Antarctica has active volcanoes

Antarctica is home to several volcanoes and two of which are active. Mount Erebus, the second-highest volcano in Antarctica is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. Located on Ross Island, this icebound volcano has some unique features such as ice fumaroles and twisted ice statues.

The second active volcano is on Deception Island, a volcanic caldera in the South Shetland Islands. Once home to a thriving whaling station and later a scientific station, it was abandoned after the most recent eruption in 1969.

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3. Antarctica is a desert

A desert is any region that receives very little annual precipitation. The average annual rainfall at the South Pole over the past 30 years was just over 10 mm (0.4 in).

Although there is more precipitation towards the coast, the average across the continent is low enough to classify Antarctica as a polar desert. Apart from being one of the driest continents on Earth, Antarctica is also the coldest, windiest and highest.

4. Antarctica holds most of the world’s fresh water

Photo by henrique setim. .

An incredible 60-90% of the world’s fresh water exists in Antarctica’s vast ice sheet. The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest on Earth, covering an incredible 14 million km² of Antarctic mountain ranges, valleys and plateaus.

This leaves only 1% of Antarctica permanently ice-free. At its deepest, Antarctica’s ice is 4.5km. If it all melted, global sea levels would rise about 60 m.

5. There is no Antarctic time zone

At the South Pole the lines of longitude, which determine the time zones around the globe, the lines of longitude meet at a single point. Most of Antarctica experiences 6 months of constant daylight in summer and 6 months of darkness in winter. Time starts to feel a little different without the normal markers for day and night.

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6. Every direction in Antarctica is north

Photo by Jordan Madrid. .

If you stand at the South Pole, you are at the southernmost point on Earth. Regardless of where you look, every direction is north. The prime meridian, an imaginary line which passes through Greenwich in the UK at 0 degrees of longitude is used to give directions.

If you stand at the South Pole and face towards Greenwich, everything to your left is west Antarctica and everything to your right is east Antarctica.

7. Antarctica has a subglacial lake that flows blood red

In 1911 on a remote glacier in East Antarctica, a strange phenomenon was observed. The ice of the Taylor Glacier was being stained a deep red by water flowing from deep within the glacier.

For many years the source of the red colour remained a mystery, but in 2017 scientists announced that they had discovered the cause. The water flowing from within the glacier was from a subglacial lake high in salt and oxidised iron. When it came into contact with oxygen the iron rusted giving the water its striking red shade and its name Blood Falls.

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8. There exists an Antarctic treaty

Photo by TUBS. .

In 1820, Antarctica was the only continent without an indigenous population. Several nations quickly made claims to the continent. This led to a significant amount of tension. Everyone agreed on the need for a peaceful resolution. In December 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty to govern the continent together.

Since then, 41 other countries have signed the Treaty and participate in annual meetings  where decisions are made.  All decisions made within the Antarctic Treaty System are made by consensus. Today, the Antarctic Treaty System has expanded to include strict guidelines for commercial fishing, sealing, and a complete ban on mining and mineral exploration.

9. Antarctica has the widest mountains range

Photo by James Eades. .

While Antarctica is covered in ice, it actually hosts one of the world’s biggest mountain ranges. The Gamburtsev Mountains stretch out for more than 1200 kilometres. The highest peaks are estimated to be around 2,800 meters or about one-third the size of earth’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest.

10. Antarctica has around 80 research stations

There are 30 different countries that operate 80 research stations situated around the continent.  Human inhabitants who occupy these facilities are around 4,000 during the summer months and only 1,000 during the long, harsh winters.

11. The first person was born in Antarctica in 1979

In January of 1979, Emile Marco Palma became the first human ever to be born on Antarctica. Argentina sent Palma’s pregnant mother to Antarctica in an effort to claim a portion of the continent. Since then, only 10 other people have been born on the continent.

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12. A huge rift was discovered in Antarctica

Photo by Omer Nezih Gerek. .

A rift that could rival the Grand Canyon was discovered beneath the Antarctic ice during an expedition conducted during 2009-2010. It is roughly 6 miles across and at least 62 miles long. It extends nearly a mile down (1.5 km) at its deepest.

13. Antarctica was discovered by accident

The existence of Antarctica was unknown to Westerners until the continent was first spotted in 1820. It wasn’t until 20 years later that it was confirmed to be a continent and not just a group of islands. However, recent research suggests Pacific Islanders may have “found” the southernmost continent 1,100 years before that.

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14. Roald Amundsen was first to the South Pole

Photo by Alex Petrenko.

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first human to reach the South Pole. He beat out English explorer Robert Falcon Scott by arriving on Dec. 14, 1911, and planting the Norwegian flag.

15. It’s a tourist attraction site

In 2011, nearly 20,000 tourists visited the Antarctic Peninsula, according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators.