Antarctica Continent

Antarctica continent is fifth in size among the world’s continents. Its landmass is almost wholly covered by a huge ice sheet. It is Earth’s southern It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. It covers almost 14,200,000 square kilometers.

Antarctica is the one and only coldest, driest, and windiest continent in this planet, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Most of Antarctica is a polar desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 in) along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C as measured from space, though the average for the third quarter.

The first known sighting of the continent was in 1820. Antarctica was mostly forgotten for the rest of the 19th century. This was because of its hostile environment, few resources, and isolation. The first official use of the name Antarctica as a continental name in the 1890. It is said to have been used by Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew.

Antarctica continent