Antarctica

THE WORLD’S fifth-largest continent, Antarctica is home to the South Pole. This continent of almost 98 percent ice and 2 percent barren rock holds the distinction of being the coldest, windiest, driest, and highest continent. Antarctica covers some 5.4 million square mi (14 million square km), and has no indigenous people, but seasonal staff from 1,000 to 4,000 people. The continent’s highest point is Vinson Massif at 16,066 ft (4,897 m) and lowest point is the Bentley Subglacial Trench at -8,382 ft (-2,555 m).

Frequent, gusty winds blow from the interior sections toward the coast, and blizzards are common along the foot of the plateau. Volcanoes are scattered along areas of West Antarctica, and large icebergs frequently break off from the ice shelf. Cold temperatures are spread across the continent. The higher elevations of East Antarctica provide the coldest temperatures. A more moderate climate is found on the Antarctic Peninsula, where high temperatures average closer to freezing.

Although the climate is incredibly harsh and dry, plant species, albeit small in size, are numerous. Hundreds of algae species are scattered across the land, as well as around 100 species of moss, 350 species of lichen, and 2 grass species. The subantarctic islands surrounding Antarctica have a wider range of flora. About 45 bird species populate the area south of the Antarctica Convergence, and a few penguins and petrels actually live on the continent. The waters surrounding Antarctica are full of seabirds, fish, seals, and whales.

The continent remained untouched by humans until the 19th century. In 1773, British sea captain, James Cook was the first to cross the ANTARCTIC CIRCLE, but never saw any of the landmass. Almost five decades later, in 1819, the Russian naval officer Fabian von Bellingshausen discovered some of the islands. However, it was not until a year later that British naval officers William Smith and Edward Bransfield discovered the landmass. A few months later in November 1820, an American sealer, Nathaniel Palmer, also discovered the continent.

In 1822, another American sealer, Captain John Davis, became the first person on record to land on the continent. For the remainder of the decade, British, French, and American expeditions navigated the land and proved that Antarctica was indeed a continent. In 1838, Lt. Charles Wilkes of the U.S. Navy explored some 1,200 miles of the Antarctic Peninsula.