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Quick Antarctic Statistics
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Area:
1.4 times bigger than the USA, 58 times bigger than the UK |
13,829,430 km2
5,339,543 miles2 |
Ice-free area
(0.32% of total) |
44,890 km2
17,330 miles2 |
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Largest Ice Shelves |
Ross ice shelf:
(about the size of France)
510,680 km2
197,974 miles2 |
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Ronne-Filchner ice shelf:
(about the size of Spain)
439,920 km2
169,850 miles2 |
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Mountains |
Transantarctic Mountain chain:
3,300 km
2,050 miles |
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Highest 3 mountains:
Mt. Vinson - 4,892 m / 16,050 ft
(sometimes called "Vinson Massif")
Mt. Tyree - 4,852 m / 15,918 ft
Mt. Shinn - 4,661 m / 15,292 ft |
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Ice
Antarctica has 70% of all the world's freshwater frozen as ice - and 90% of all the world's ice.
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Thickness
Mean
1,829 m / 6,000 ft
Mean thickness East Antarctica:
2,226 m / 7,300 ft
Mean thickness West Antarctica:
1,306 m / 4,285 ft
Maximum ice thickness:
4,776 m / 15,670ft
Lowest point - Bentley subglacial trench,depth below sea-level
2,496 m / 8,188 ft
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M km3 - Million cubic kilometres |
Volume
Total:
25.4 M km3 / 6.09 M miles3
Grounded ice sheets
24.7 M km3 / 5.93 M miles3
Ice shelves:
0.7 M km3 / 0.17 M miles3
Peninsula ice:
0.1 M km3 / 0.024 M miles3 |
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Population |
About 4,000 on scientific bases in the short summer 1,000 total in winter, around 30,000summer tourists - and this place is 1.4 x bigger than the USA! There are NO permanent residents and NEVER has been a native population. |
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Discovery and Exploration |
Antarctica was imagined by the ancient Greeks, but not even seen until 1820.
The first time anyone set foot on Antarctica was in 1821.
The first year-round occupation -overwintering - was in 1898.
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Climate |
The temperature falls as you leave the coast as the continent slopes upwards and temperature falls as you go higher.
Temperature:
Lowest recoded on earth - Vostok station -89.2°C / -128.6°F
Average summer temperature at South Pole -27.5°C / -17.5°F
Average winter temperature at South Pole -60°C / -76°F
Wind:
Mawson station in Antarctica is the windiest place on earth.
Average wind speed:
37 kmh / 23 mph
Maximum recorded gust:
248.4 kmh / 154 mph
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Landforms |
Antarctica has many landforms - it's a continent! But for the benefit of your geography teacher, here's a few main ones:
glacier
desert
mountain
plain
plateau
valley
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