Antarctica
| |
| Area | 14,000,000 km² (280,000 km² ice-free, 13,720,000 km² ice-covered) |
| Population | about 1,000 (none permanent) |
| Internet TLD | .aq |
| Calling Code | 672 |
Antarctica (from Greek meaning "opposite the Arctic") is a continent surrounding the Earth's South Pole. It is the coldest place on Earth and is almost entirely covered by ice; however, it is also the world's largest desert.
Although myths 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.
With an area of 13,200,000 km², Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, after Asia, 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.
Geography
The continent of Antarctica is located mostly south of the Antarctic Circle, surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Physically Antarctica is divided in two by mountains close to the neck between the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. The portion of the continent west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called Western Antarctica and the remainder Eastern Antarctica, since they correspond roughly to the eastern and western hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian. Western Antarctica is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Antarctic climate
Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. Temperatures reach a minimum of between -85 and -90 degrees Celsius in the winter and about 30 degrees higher in the summer months. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent, leaving the center cold and dry. There is little precipitation over the central portion of the continent, but ice there can last for extended time periods. However, heavy snowfalls are not uncommon on the coastal portion of the continent, where snowfalls of up to 48 inches in 48 hours have been recorded. Nearly all of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet that is, on average, 2.5 kilometers thick.
At the edge of the continent, strong katabatic winds off the polar plateau often blow at storm force. In the interior, however, windspeeds are often moderate.
Depending on the latitude, long periods of constant darkness, or constant sunlight, mean that climates familiar to humans are not generally available on the continent.
Population
It is usually estimated that at a given time there are at least 1,000 people living in Antarctica. This varies considerably with season. Generally, stations use their home country's time zone, but not always; where known, a base's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset is listed. Although Antarctica has no permanent residents, a number of governments maintain permanent research stations throughout the continent. Many of the stations are staffed around the year. These include:
- Akademik Vernadsky Station, Galindez Island, (65°14′S 64°15′W), (
UKR) - Almirante Brown Antarctic Base, Paradise Bay, Argentina
Argentina - Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, South Pole
United States Antarctic Program - Belgrano II, (77°52′S 34°37′W) Laboratory and meteorological station Argentine southernmost base (since 1979). Argentina
- Bellingshausen Station, King George Island ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:62|11|47|S|58|57|39|W|
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Russia
- Bernardo O'Higgins Station, Antarctic Peninsula, Chilean Army.
Chile - Casey, Vincennes Bay (
Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+8) - Comandante Ferraz Station, King George Island (62°08′S 58°40′W)
Brazil - Concordia Research Station, (75° S 123° E),
France 
Italy - Dakshin Gangotri Station,
Indian Antarctic Program - Davis, Princess Elizabeth Land ( Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+7)
- Dumont d'Urville Station (66°40′S 140°00′E) France (UTC+10)
- Eduardo Frei Montalva Station and Villa Las Estrellas, King George Island, Chilean Air Force. Chile
- Esperanza (63°24′S 57°00′W) Laboratory and meteorological station (since 1952). Radio LRA Arcángel, School #38 Julio A. Roca (since 1978), tourist facilities. Argentina
- General Artigas Station (
Uruguay) - Georg von Neumayer Station, (70°39′S 08°15′W) (Atka-Bay) (Alfred Wegener Institute
Germany) - Great Wall Station (62°13′S 58°57′W), King George Island (
China) - Halley Research Station (75°35′S 26°34′W)
British Antarctic Survey - Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (62°10′S 058°28′W), King George Island
Poland - Jubany, (62°14′S 58°40′W), since 1953 ( Argentina)
- King Sejong Station (62°13′S 58°47′W), King George Island, since 1988 (
KOR) - Law-Racoviţă Station
Romania - Machu Picchu Research Station, Admiralty Bay, King George Island, summer base established in 1989.
Peru - Macquarie Island ( Australian Antarctic Division)
- Maitri Station, (70°45.58′S 11°43.56′E) near Schirmacher Region ( Indian Antarctic Program)
- Marambio Base, (64°14′S 56°37′W) Seymour-Marambio Island. Laboratory, meteorological station, 1.2 km long, 30 m wide landing track (since 1969) ( Argentina) website
- Mawson Station, Mac Robertson Land ( Australian Antarctic Division) (UTC+6)
- McMurdo Station, Ross Island ( USA) (UTC+12, follows New Zealand DST)
- Mirny Station ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:66|33|07|S|93|00|53|E|
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- Mizuho Station (70°41′S 44°19′E) (National Institute of Polar Research
Japan) - Molodezhnaya Station ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:67|40|18|S|45|51|21|E|
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- Novolazarevskaya Station, Dronning Maud Land ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:70|46|26|S|11|51|54|E|
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- Orcadas (60°44′S 44°44′W) Orcadas Islands (since 1904)( Argentina)
- Palmer Station, Anvers Island ( USA) (UTC-4, follows Chilean DST)
- Professor Julio Escudero base, King George Island. Chile
- Progress Station ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:69|22|44|S|76|23|13|E|
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- Rothera Research Station (67°34′S 68°08′W) British Antarctic Survey (UTC-3)
- San Martín Station (68°08′S 67°06′W) (since 1951) Laboratory and Meteorological measurements ( Argentina)
- SANAE (South African National Antarctic Expeditions), on the Fimbul Coastal Ice Shelf in Queen Maud Land
South Africa - Saint Climent Ohridski ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:62|38|29|S|60|21|53|W|
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Bulgaria)
- Scott Base, (77°51′S 166°45′E) Ross Island (
New Zealand) (UTC+12, follows New Zealand DST) - Showa Station (66°00′S 39°35′E) (National Institute of Polar Research Japan) (GMT+3)
- Troll Station (Norwegian Polar Institute), (72°00′S 2°32′E) Queen Maud Land (
Norway) - Vostok, Antarctica (78°28′S 106°48′E) ( Russia) (UTC+6)
- Zhongshan (Sun Yet-Sen) Station ({{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:69|22|44|S|76|22|40|E|
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Emilio Marcos Palma was the first person born in Antarctica (Base Esperanza) in 1978, his parents being sent there along with seven other families.
Communications
The international dialing code for Antarctica is +672.
Antarctica has wireless telephone services. There is a single cell tower using AMPS technology at Argentina's Marambio Base and an Entel Chile GSM tower on King George Island. Communications are otherwise limited to satellite connections.
Radio frequencies that can be used are FM2 and shortwave 1.
Military
The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature in Antarctica, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon. It permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes.
The U. S. military issues the Antarctica Service Medal to those members of the military or civilians who perform research duty on the Antarctica continent. The medal may include a winter-over bar issued to those who remain on the continent for two complete, six-month seasons.
The only documented large-scale land military maneuver was "Operación 90," undertaken 10 years before the Antarctic Treaty by the Argentinian
External links
- 70South
- Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
- ANetStation
- The Antarctic Digital Database - a source of digital topographic map data for Antarctica
- Argentine Antarctic history
- Australian Antarctic Division
- British Antarctic Survey
- Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), official homepage.
- German Antarctic Ships and Stations
- Portals on the World - Antarctica from the Library of Congress
- The Russian State Museum of Arctic and Antarctic
- The Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research - coordinating body for Antarctic Science
- Antarctic Research Stations
- The World Factbook – Antarctica from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
- Latest Antarctic news and information by 70South
- Biodiversity at Ardley Island, South Shetland archipelago, Antarctica
- International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO)
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