Let's start from here, the people who travel to or live in Antarctica fall into two main groups, those who live and work on scientific research stations or bases, and tourists. No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents.
In this article, facts you didn't know about Antarctica will be revealed.
PS: You must love geography to enjoy this article. Here are some facts:
Size
Antarctica is 13,209,000 sq km, 5,100,021 sq miles ( varies due to changing ice shelves)
Percent of Earth's Land: 8.9%
Status
Antarctica, almost 98% solid ice, was finally considered a continent in 1840, and not just a group of isolated islands. Today it has active territorial claims submitted by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. (Many of these claims are not recognized by some countries and remain in a constant disputed status)
Capital City none
Climate
Antarctica is the coldest and windiest spot on the planet. In fact, the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was recorded in Antarctica (-129.3ºF) and the mean winter temperatures range from -40º to -94ºF. Winds are commonly measured at up to 200 miles per hour.
- Current Weather at the South Pole.
- Highest Point Vinson Massif at 16,066 ft. (4,897 m)
- Lowest Point Bentley Subglacial Trench, -2,555 m)
- Latitude/Longitude 90° S, 0.00° E
- Official Language none
- Official Currency none
- Population Officially none, but governmental research stations are populated with small groups of scientists at all times. In addition, during the 2011/2012 season, nearly 417,000 tourists visited the continent.
WHO OWNS ANTARCTICA?
People from all over the world undertake research in Antarctica, but Antarctica is not owned by any one nation.
Antarctica is governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty System.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had scientists in and around Antarctica at the time. The negotiation of the Treaty stemmed from the very successful 1957–58 International Geophysical Year.
The original signatories of the Antarctic Treaty included seven countries with territorial claims. These are Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
The Antarctic Treaty entered into force in 1961. It has since been agreed to by many other nations.
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