Antarctica, the world’s southernmost continent, is almost wholly covered by an ice sheet and is about 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square km) in size. Without any ice, antarctica would emerge as a giant peninsula and archipelago of mountainous islands, known as lesser antarctica, and a single large landmass about the size of australia, known as greater antarctica. Though antarctica is really, really chilly, it is considered a desert because it receives very little rain or snowfall The small amount of snow that does fall does not melt but builds up over hundreds and thousands of years to form large, thick ice sheets. Hektoria glacier on the antarctic peninsula lost nearly half its size astonishingly rapidly Scientists have now discovered the reasons behind its rapid retreat and say it raises fears for sea.
Despite its massive size, antarctica has no permanent population due to its harsh climate, icy terrain, and remote location. People in antarctica learn about what life is like for people living in antarctica. Antarctica is the harshest continent on the earth due to its coldest, windiest, and driest climate It is different from the other 6 continents because it has no country and permanent human residents. Antarctica is earth 's southernmost continent, overlying the south pole Situated in the southern hemisphere and largely south of the antarctic circle, antarctica is surrounded by the southern ocean.
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