ANTARCTICA: MAP AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

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Antarctica is a continent that is now at the south pole of the Earth.

The Antarctic was at the equator during the Cambrian period, roughly 500 million years ago. As the continents drifted atop the more liquid interior layers of the Earth, the Antarctic drifted south during the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic Era) when it was attached to Australia, had no glaciers, and housed many animals, including some dinosaurs. Over the millennia, it drifter farther south, separated from Australia, and is now located over the South Pole of the Earth.

• Geography: Antarctica is the icy continent at the South Pole. It is covered by permafrost (permanently frozen ground), is surrounded by water, and is about 1 1/2 times larger than the United States. The world's largest desert is on Antarctica. 98 percent of the land is covered with a continental ice sheet; the remaining 2 percent of land is barren rock. Antarctica has about 87% of the world's ice.
• Climate: The South Pole is the coldest, windiest, and driest place on Earth. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at the South Pole; it reached -128.6°F (-88.0°C)! On average, most of Antarctica gets less than 2 inches of snow fall each year.
• People: Although scientific expeditions visit Antarctica, there are no permanent human residents (because of the extreme weather, which includes freezing temperatures, strong winds, and blizzards). There are about 4,000 seasonal visitors to Antarctica.
• Location: Antarctica hasn't always been located at the South Pole. It has drifted, like the other continents, and has ranged from the equator (during the Cambrian period, about 500 million years ago) to the South Pole. During the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic Era, about 65 million to 248 million years ago), Antarctica was more temperate and housed dinosaurs and many other life forms. Now, there is very little indigenous life.

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