Facts behind Antarctica

 Antarctica is the world’s southernmost and fifth largest continent. Its landmass is almost wholly covered by a vast ice sheet. Often described as a continent of superlatives, Antarctica is not only the world’s southernmost continent but also the world’s highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent.

Antarctica does not have a native human population. There are no countries in Antarctica, although seven nations claim different parts of it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina ³. The Antarctic also includes island territories within the Antarctic Convergence ³.

Antarctica has an extremely cold, dry climate ¹². Winter temperatures along Antarctica’s coast generally range from -10° to -30°C (14° to -22°F) ². During the summer, coastal areas hover around 0°C (32°F) but can reach temperatures as high as 9°C (48°F) ². The continent is also extremely dry (it is a desert), averaging 166 mm (6.5 in) of precipitation per year .Snow rarely melts on most parts of the continent, and, after being compressed, becomes the glacier ice that makes up the ice sheet.