The extreme points of Antarctica. Brief description of the continent

Antarctica is the driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth. About other features of the continent and the extreme points of Antarctica, find out in our article.

Land of ice deserts

Antarctica was once called "South land" because the continent is the most southern on the planet. Despite this, the continent is completely covered with ice. Here are the lowest temperatures in the world. The record was recorded in 1983, then recorded a temperature of -89 degrees Celsius.

Sunset and sunrise on the continent can be observed only once a year. In winter it does not rise at all, and the whole continent is plunged into darkness. In the summer the sun shines always, without sinking to the horizon to the end. In such conditions it is extremely difficult to live, therefore the only population on the continent are station workers, which are replaced every six months.

Description of the mainland Antarctica

The name of the continent is treated as "anti-Arctic", that is, the opposite of the Arctic - the North Pole. All extreme points of Antarctica are completely located in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by Russian navigators Lazarev and Bellingshausen. Studying the mainland began much later, and we know the name he received only in 1961.

The area of the mainland is 14 million square kilometers. In its glaciers there is about 80% of the world's fresh water reserve. Kilometer layers of ice hide the diversity of the continent's relief. In the central part, it rises 4 kilometers above sea level and is the highest on the planet. Its mountain folds are a continuation of the South American Andes, and most of the territory is flat.

The extreme points of Antarctica

This cold land is quite far from other continents. The most close to it is South America, which is located at a distance of about 1000 meters. The continent is located in the polar latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. In this regard, all the extreme points of Antarctica have one direction and can only be northern. Given the unique features of the continent, the researchers distinguish only one extreme point - Cape Prime Head.

Unlike most of the continent, the cape is located in front of the Southern Arctic Circle. Its coordinates are: 63 ° 13 'S. Ш., 57 ° 00 'in. Etc. It belongs to Graham Land - a disputed territory between Argentina and Great Britain. The climate in the Prime-Head area is quite mild. In summer, the air can warm up to a temperature of +10 degrees, so here you can sometimes find even plants.