Did you know that Antarctica is the world’s southernmost continent? And that it’s also the driest, windiest and coldest place on Earth?
Here are ten fun facts about Antarctica:
1. Antarctica is home to around 70% of the world’s fresh water, but less than 0.5% of it is accessible.
2. The average height of the ice is around 1.6km, but in some places it can be up to 4km thick!
3. Antarctica is the windiest, driest and coldest continent on Earth.
4. Despite being so cold, Antarctica is home to around two million seals and ten million penguins.
5. The first person to sight Antarctica was probably the Greek explorer Pythagoras in 520 BC.
6. The first confirmed sighting of Antarctica was by the English explorer Captain James Cook in 1775.
7. Antarctica is home to the world’s largest population of scientists!
8. Only around 2% of the continent is free from ice, and most of this is in the form of glaciers.
9. The currency of Antarctica is the US dollar.
10. Antarctica is a continent of extremes – the highest temperature ever recorded was just 3.3°C, and the lowest was a chilly -89.2°C!
