What do you know?
Question
Where is Antarctica?
Antarctica lies at the South Pole.
Key points
- Antarctica is a frozen continent at the South Pole. The average temperature is around -30 °c.
- Some species have adapted to survive the A place that is uncomfortable or difficult to live in. conditions in Antarctica. These include lichen, mosses, penguins and whales.
- Nobody owns Antarctica. It has no government or permanent population. An agreement that protects the continent of Antarctica. is an agreement to help manage the continent.
Activity: Explore Antarctica
Weather and climate
Antarctica is a frozen continent at the South Pole. The average temperature is around -30 °c, but mountainous areas inland are much colder, falling to temperatures of -60 °c. The continent is a An area that receives less than 250 mm of rainfall or snow a year. as snow rarely falls.
Antarctica experiences strong Winds that flow downwards from a higher area. winds, as cold air flows down from inland areas towards the coast. The coastline of Antarctica is one of the windiest places in the world.
Antarctica has distinct A period of the year that has similar characteristics, such as temperature, light levels. Examples of seasons in the UK are summer and winter.. During the Antarctic winter, the continent has 24 hours of darkness. More ice forms and the continent doubles in size. In contrast, there are 24 hours of daylight in the Antarctic summer.
Look at this slideshow to see how the position of the Earth affects seasons in Antarctica.
Image caption, The Earth’s axis is tilted at roughly 23.5 °.
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Question
Why is Antarctica covered in ice?
Although it rarely snows in Antarctica, any snow that does fall is not able to melt and so compacts to form ice. The average temperature in Antarctica is around -30 °c. This is too cold for ice to melt.
How have animals and plants adapted to Antarctica?
Some animal species have When a plant or animal has changed to suit its environment. to survive the A place that is uncomfortable or difficult to live in. conditions in Antarctica. For example, penguins have flippers to help them to swim and feathers to trap warm air close to their bodies.
Plant species such as A small, slow-growing organism that is often found on rocks and trees. and A small flowerless plant that grows in damp places. Mosses don’t have roots and so can grow in places where there is very little useable soil. grow, particularly around coastal regions.
The ocean contains a range of life, including Microscopic algae that live in the ocean., Small shrimp-like creatures that live in the ocean. and whales.
Who owns Antarctica?
Nobody owns Antarctica. It has no government or permanent population. During the 20th century, North American and European explorers raced to become the first to explore Antarctica. In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to reach the South Pole. His team were closely followed by Robert Falcon Scott of the United Kingdom. The A journey to explore somewhere. were dangerous but deemed important as a show of strength and power over other nations.
Antarctica is a An area that lies outside the control of any nation, for example outer space and Antarctica., which means it is outside of the control of any one country. Many countries work together in Antarctica and so the continent needs careful management to ensure that it is not destroyed.
Question
What are the high seas?
The high seas are areas of open ocean that lie far away from any coastline. A country has control over the ocean that lies close to its coastline, but no country has control over the high seas. Both the high seas and Antarctica are global commons
Play the Planet Planners game! game
Make decisions for the planet in this KS3 geography game.
More on Antarctica and polar regions
Find out more by working through a topic
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