The Antarctic is the coldest region in the world, and holds the record for the lowest temperature: -89.2°C (-128.6°F), recorded on July 21, 1983. Even in summer, the temperature never rises above -10°C.

It is a cold, windy desert. Gravity-driven katabatic winds are characteristic of polar regions. They hurtle across the glaciers and accelerate with the cold, sometimes making it impossible to advance a single metre.They can reach 300km/h.

These winds cause huge storms, driving two tonnes of snow an hour through a space of one square metre. The wind factor also makes the air even colder. A temperature of -30°C with a wind of 80 km/h is equivalent to -68°C.