Science

Fascinating Antarctica: Icy facts about the most southern region in the world

  • Satellite photo of Antarctica

    99 percent ice

    Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, covering an area of 13,829,430 square kilometres (533, 957 square miles) — about 1.3 times the size of Europe. Even in the Antarctic summer, from December to February, 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice, some of it up to 5000 meters thick.

  • Neumayer-Station III in Antarctica

    Continent of extremes

    Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, with the lowest temperature measured reading -98.6 degrees Celsius (-145,48 degrees Fahrenheit). But that's not all: as it never rains or snows, the continent is also the driest and windiest in the world, with wind speeds reaching in excess of 250 kmph (155 mph).

  • Neumayer-Station III in Antarctica (Tim Heitland)

    No sense of time

    Antarctica comprises the continent and the southern polar sea. The Antarctic Polar Front forms the boundary, where the northern extension of the Southern Ocean separates the cold surface water in the south from the warmer water in the north. Antarctica is located on all longitudes and extends over all time zones. Most research stations operate on the time in their home country.

  • Neumayer-Station III in Antarctica (Tim Heitland)

    Temporary residents

    The Antarctic population is made up of the international research teams. In summer about 4000 scientists live on the continent, and during the harsh Antarctic winter only about 1000. There are 80 research stations that they can stay in, which are currently operated by almost 30 countries. Pictured is the German Neumayer Station III of the Alfred Wegener Institute.

  • A Belgica Antarctica midge (Reuters)

    Real locals

    With a length of just seven millimetres, these little guys are considered to be the largest land animals permanently living in Antarctica: the Antartic midge (Belgica antarctica). The development of the larva into an adult takes about two years. Most of the time, the larvae are frozen in the ice – real survivors!

  • Neumayer-Station III in Antarctica

    Oh, hi!

    Finally: no, contrary to some fictional depictions, there are no polar bears in the Antarctic – they live in the Arctic Circle at the other end of the Earth. But there are penguins in Antarctica. However, only four of the 17 known penguin species are native to Antarctica. This small emperor penguin is just one of them.


Antarctica is more than just snow and ice. The most southern point of our earth breaks a lot of records. Cosy up for an expedition to the South Pole.

  • Date 20.02.2019
  • Author Hannah Fuchs