43 Jaw dropping facts about Antarctica

Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole, is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. Most cruises to the continent visit the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches toward South America. It’s known for the Lemaire Channel and Paradise Harbor, striking, iceberg-flanked passageways, and Port Lockroy, a former British research station turned museum. The peninsula’s isolated terrain also shelters rich wildlife, including many penguins. Some facts about it are:

·         Antarctica is the largest desert in the world.

·         Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent on Earth.

·         The coldest place on Earth is a high ridge in Antarctica where temperatures can dip below -133°F (-93.2°C).

·         The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 58.2°F (14.5°C).

·         90% of the world's fresh water is in Antarctica.

·         Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, Antarctica was only first sighted in 1820 by a Russian expedition.

·         Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.

·         Antarctica is about 1.3 times as large as Europe.

·         Antarctica is the only continent without reptiles.

·         Ice melting in Antarctica has caused a small shift in gravity in the region.

·         You cannot work in Antarctica unless your wisdom teeth and appendix are removed.

·         Chile has a civilian town in Antarctica, complete with a school, hospital, hostel, post office, Internet, TV and mobile phone coverage.

·         Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone.

·         The ice sheet of Antarctica has been in existence for at least 40 million years.

·         There's a treaty signed by 38 countries that prohibits military activities, mineral mining, nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal in Antarctica.

·         There are 300 lakes beneath Antarctica that are kept from freezing by the warmth of Earth's core.

·         Husky dogs have been banned from Antarctica since 1994.

·         The southernmost active volcano on Earth is in Antarctica. It spews crystals and is very close to the U.S. Research Center.

·         Antarctica was once as warm as modern-day California.

·         There are at least seven Christian churches in Antarctica.

·         A scientist in Antarctica got a date through Tinder with a girl camping just 45 minutes away.

·         Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth except for Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands.

·         Most of Antarctica is covered in ice: less than 1% is permanently ice-free.

·         Australia claims to own the largest territory in Antarctica: 5.8 million sq km (2.2 million sq mi).

·         The largest iceberg ever measured is bigger than Jamaica: 11,000 sq km (4,200 sq mi). It broke away from Antarctica in 2000.

·         In 1977, Argentina sent a pregnant mother to Antarctica in an effort to claim a portion of the continent. The boy became the first human known to be born in Antarctica.

·         The average thickness of ice in Antarctica is about 1 mile (1.6 km).

·         Winds in some places of Antarctica can reach 200 mph (320 km/h).

·         Antarctica is almost 1.5 times the size of the U.S.

·         90% of all meteorites ever found have come from Antarctica.

·         The World's Oldest Sperm was discovered in Antarctica: 50-million-year-old sperm cells from a worm.

·         There are Victoria's Secret models from every continent except Antarctica.

·         There is just one insect native to Antarctica, the Belgica Antarctica.

·         There is a waterfall in Antarctica that runs red as blood.

·         There are no polar bears in Antarctica, only in the Arctic‎.

·         Antarctica has only one ATM.

·         Argentina claims 965,597 km2 (372,819 sq mi) in Antarctica, where it has the world's oldest continuous state presence, since 1904.

·         Antarctica was once covered in rich green forests and inhabited by dinosaurs, during one of Earth's warmest cycles.

·         The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is twice the size of Europe.

·         No sitting U.S. president has visited Antarctica.

·         Every year, a half marathon, marathon and a 100K run take place in Antarctica despite an average windchill temperature of -20°C.

·         The largest volcanic region on Earth is two kilometres below the surface of the vast ice sheet that covers west Antarctica, where at least 136 volcanoes are located.

·         There are more than 40 airports in Antarctica.