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Quick Antarctic
Statistics
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Area:
1.4 x bigger than the USA
58 x bigger than the UK
1.8 x bigger than Australia |
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
30,000-40,000 summer 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.
The South Pole was first reached in
1911.
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Climate |
3 factors rule in Antarctica - cold,
wind and altitude. Antarctica holds the world record
for each of these three things.
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
coral reef
#
desert
mountain
plain
plateau
valley
nunatak
#
- this is a lie
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2001