Antarctica

More Information

Antarctica's Information


Area	14,000,000.00 km²
Land Area	14,000,000.00 km²
Population	5,000.00
Climate	Severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing
Terrain	About 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 m; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 m; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

Where is Antarctica?

Antarctica is an island nation. It has a 17,968.00 km coastline. Many of the land claims made on Antarctica are not internationally recognized.

Antarctica is a continent on Earth’s South Pole. The continent is made up of some claimed territories. Different countries have claimed the lands. The average population is approximately 1,106 with the number going up during summer. The continent does not have a capital as it is not a country and does not have a government. Instead it is governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which is signed by several countries. The American station McMurdo is the station with the largest population while Maxwell Bay has several bases and an airfield. Antarctica is usually cold throughout the year as it is an ice desert. Summer falls between November and March with most tourists visiting then and summer stations opening. The population in summer goes up to about 5,000 people. June is the coldest month in winter. There are several tourist sites to visit with most tourists visiting to hike, ski and visit the South Pole.

Geography

Antarctica has a mean elevation of 2,300 m above sea level. The Bentley Subglacial Trench surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater.

It experiences extreme low temperatures which vary based on latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica. It is mostly covered by a thick continental ice sheet and barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 m.

Antarctica is the Earth’s southernmost continent. The continent does not have permanent residents, rather people visit and leave. Seven countries have laid claim to parts of the continent, but the continent is governed by the Antarctic treaty which came into force on December 1, 1961. As of today, the treaty has 53 signatory states. The treaty aims to keep Antarctica free of any military activity or war and preserve the continent for scientific studies. Major decisions regarding the continent are agreed upon by 29 consultative nations. These are 29 countries that are actively engaged in scientific studies in Antarctica. The nations have a secretariat named the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat which organizes for meetings between the countries, keeps records of the meeting's discussions, and supplies information to the public about the Antarctic Treaty. Meetings are held yearly by the consultative nations to discuss issues concerning Antarctica. The location of the meetings is agreed upon by the countries. The meetings take ten working days and are usually scheduled for May and July.

Flag

The official flag of Antarctica consists of two colors: blue and white. Blue covers the background while the map of the continent is white and in the middle of the flag. Before Antarctica adopted the current flag, the continent did not have any official flag. The blue color on the flag represents neutrality while the white colors stand for snow and ice, a common feature of the Antarctic climate. Graham Bartram designed the current flag of the continent. He is the chief vexillologist of the flag institute. He designed the flag based on the United Nations flag. Apart from the Bartram flag proposal, there is also the Mr. Whitney Smith design which consists of an orange background with three white elements: hands, bowel, and the letter A. The orange color on Mr. Smiths design contrast with the snow hence making the flag unique. The other two elements stand for snow and ice. Before the current flag, the continent did not have any official flag. Some regions on the continent used a similar flag while other regions which are territories under other countries used the flags of their home countries. Some of the countries that have territories in the continent include New Zealand, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Argentine among others. The flags used are either same as those used in their respective countries or the flag have some additional elements. The territories still use different flags to date after the adoption of the current flag.

Antarctica

Where is Antarctica?

Geography

Flag

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?