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Antarctic

Antarctica is a continent surrounding the Earth's South Pole. It is the coldest place on earth and is almost entirely covered by ice. It is not to be confused with the Arctic, which is located near the Earth's North Pole on the opposite side of the planet.

Although legends and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") go back to antiquity, the first commonly accepted 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. A 1513 map by Admiral Piri Reis, however, contains a southern continent that bears a possible resemblance to the Antarctic coast. (See also History of Antarctica.)

With an area of 13,200,000 kmē, Antarctica is the fifth largest continent, after Eurasia, Africa, North America, and South America. However, it is by far the smallest in population: indeed, 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.

Antarctic External Links

Live From Antarctica
An educational resource for teachers and students interested in Antarctic studies. Find teacher guides and classroom activities, field journals, archives of FrequentlyAsked Questions (FAQ), images, newsletters and other resources.

The Antarctic Digital Database
Source of digital topographic map data for Antarctica.

The Frozen Land : Antarctica
We will never know by what quirk of fate or continental drift the emperor penguin ended up in Antarctica. What we do know is that Antarctica is one of the most difficult places for organisms to inhabit...

Enviro Facts: Antartica
Antarctica is virtually untouched by human actions. Although remote and hostile, this huge continent around the South Pole is rich in wildlife, breathtaking scenery and natural resources.

Australian Antarctic Division
Department of the Environment and Heritage.

British Antarctic Survey
A component of the Natural Environment Research Council. Based in Cambridge UK, it has, for almost 60 years, undertaken the majority of Britain's scientific research on and around the Antarctic continent.

Antarctica History Page
There has never been a greater feat of seamanship than Shackleton's open-boat voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia after the loss of his ship the Endurance.

Antarctic Photo Gallery
These pictures were taken during a recent cruise aboard the ice-breaking research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.



Continent surrounding the earth's south pole, the coldest place on earth and is almost entirely covered by ice
Resources:

Council Of Managers Of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) - COMNAP was established in 1988 to facilitate liaison between the managers of national agencies responsible for the conduct of logistics operations in support of Antarctic science. The membership now includes twenty-nine countries from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Geophysical projects - Aeromagnetic Investigations in Dronning Maud Land, Antartica.

Antarctic Treaty Secretariat - The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat has begun its operations at 1st. September 2004.
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