Amazing Antarctica

Amazing Antarctica

The Seventh Continent Give a globe a spin. On it you can easily find six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Now look at the bottom of the globe. There you will find continent number seven: Antarctica.

For a long time, no one knew Antarctica was there. It was located far from where anyone lived. People did not discover Antarctica until about two hundred years ago. Since then, we have learned a lot about Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest continent and has the strongest winds. Less rain and snow fall there than in any other continent. Antarctica is also home to some of the most amazing animals in the world.

Freezing Antarctica During the winter, Earth's southern half is turned away from the Sun. For a couple of weeks in June and July-winter in Antarctica- the Sun never rises. For a period in December and January--summer in Antarctica--the Sun never sets. Its location makes the weather almost always cold, icy, and windy.

The temperature in summer is usually just above 0C (32°F). In winter, the temperature often drops below -18C (0°F). The coldest known temperature on Earth was in Antarctica in July 1983. It was about -89C (-128°F). This cold explains why thick sheets of ice cover much of Antarctica. In some places, Antarctica's ice is more than 4 kilometers(2. 5 mi. ) thick.