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. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and least populated continent on the planet It is in the southern hemisphere and it is surrounded by the southern ocean.
Antarctica, a continent of unparalleled ice and stark beauty, is earth’s southernmost landmass, representing a vital frontier for scientific research and a testament to nature’s formidable power. Antarctica is a continent capped by an inland ice sheet up to 4.8km thick, containing approximately 90% of the world’s total surface fresh water (and 60% of the world’s total fresh water). Despite its massive size, antarctica has no permanent population due to its harsh climate, icy terrain, and remote location. The first antarctic land discovered was the island of south georgia, visited by the english merchant anthony de la roché in 1675. Situated almost entirely south of the antarctic circle and surrounded by the southern ocean, i.
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