Antarctica

Marinus of Tyre

Carl Anton

Roald Amundsen

Prohibits rock climbing

Transantarctic

Frozen moisture

Dakshin Gangotri

Freezing climate

Microorganisms

Queen Maud land

Krill

Kirkpatrick

Mosses

Cold desert

Queen Maud land

(a) The first Norwegian expedition to Antarctica was led by Captain Carl Anton Larsen in 1892

(b) Antarctica treaty was signed in 1959

(c) The Weddell and Ross seas deeply penetrate the continent from opposite directions.

(d) The highest mountain of the continent is the Vinson Massif in Ellsworth land

(e) The Adelle and Emperor Penguins are the most common flightless birds.

(a) White Continent.

(b) Iceberg.

(c) Bharati.

(a) True

(b) True

(c) False

(d) False

(e) False

The entire continent of Antarctica is covered with a vast ice sheet. Due to this thick ice cover, there is no vegetation or settlement and hence it looks like a white landscape. Thus, Antarctica is called the White Continent.

Climatic conditions of Antarctica:

1. Antarctica is an extremely cold, dry and windy continent. The continental edges experience powerful winds which blow at a speed of about 160 kilometres per hour. These strong cold winds are called blizzards.
2. The summer in Antarctica is from November to February. During this time the sun never sets. The summer temperature remains below the freezing point at around -28°C in Antarctic interior.
3. The winter is from May to August. The sun never rises during these months. As the winter approaches, the sea around Antarctica freezes. The winter temperature is around -50°C.
4. Humidity in Antarctica is very low as the moisture in air freezes. No rainfall occurs in Antarctica as the land surface remains frozen and the air remains dry. However, light snowfall occurs during winter, mainly in the coastal areas.

The Antarctica Treaty aims:

1. To prohibit military activities.
2. To prohibit mining.
3. To prohibit nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal.
4. To promote scientific research and protect the continent's ecozone.

The climate of Antarctica is not suitable for vegetation and cultivation because:

1. Antarctica is a cold desert.
2. Antarctica lacks fertile soil.
3. The permanent severe frosts and very cold winds prevent any distribution of plant species.

The continent of Antarctica is known as the continent of science because:

1. It is dedicated to peace and science.
2. It has research stations from various countries and is inhabited primarily by scientists which are the only human habitations on the continent.
3. It provides great scope for the scientific study of the earth's weather.
4. The discovery of microorganisms in the ice core of Antarctica may provide insights on the origin of life on earth and also the solar system.

Antarctica is currently safeguarded against mineral exploitation and conflict by the Antarctica Treaty. It will continue to provide ample scope of research in the near future.
However, it is believed to contain valuable mineral resources like coal, oil, gold, and silver. As energy and mineral reserves decline and tourism in Antarctica grows, there will likely be greater pressure to exploit its natural resources on both land and in the ocean in the future.

Antarctica is world’s southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Its area is approximately 14,200,000 sq. km. It is covered by Permafrost (permanently frozen ground).

The physical features of the continent of Antarctica are:

1. Antarctica is covered with thick sheet of ice. There are no coastal plains. It is covered by Permafrost.
2. The transantarctic mountains divide the continent into two parts. The smaller and narrower western part is called Lesser Antarctica and the larger eastern part is called Greater Antarctica.
3. Vinson Massif in Ellsworth land is the highest mountain of the continent.
4. Mt. Sidley is the highest volcano in Antarctica.
5. The highest point in Eastern Antarctica is Kirkpatrick in transantarctic mountains and second highest is Mount Erebus on Ross Island which is an active volcano.
6. A plateau called Queen Maud land is located along the coastal area on the eastern side of the continent.
7. The South pole lies on the South Pole plateau at a height of 2785 m above sea level.

In 1773, James Cook crossed the latitude of 67°15' S along the Antarctica circle for the first time. He only discovered nearby islands. In 1820, the very first to have sighted Antarctica was Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. The first Norwegian expedition to Antarctica was led by Captain Carl Anton Larsen in 1892. During the expedition, he was first to discover fossils in Antarctica. Finally, a Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen with his team reached the south pole on December 14, 1911.

Antarctica's freezing climate and barren glacial coasts with not a drop of fresh water to drink, isolated from the world, makes it impossible for normal life to survive. Therefore, Antarctica is uninhabitable for human beings.