Monday, July 25, 2011

Antarctica!

Antarctica

Antarctica
is Earth's southernmost continent. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.25 square
kilometres, it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent. It is considered a desert. The temperature in Antarctica can reach up to -70°C . Th
ere are no permanent human residents. The only people remaining on the continent are 1,000 scientists . In the summer, it only gets dark for about 4 hours, although in the winter it's dark for 24 hours a day.

Only cold-adapted organisms survive in Antarctica, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins and seals), bacteria, fungi, plants, and protista. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra.

Antarctica is becoming a popular tourist attraction. Several companies offer cruises to the continent- but only in the summer.There are a lot f things to see there. The sight of millions of penguins on Zavodovski Island is spectacular and the Dry Valleys, where there is no snow and no ice are unique. It hasn't rained there for over 2 million years, The icebergs on Paradise Harbour are also known, because the sight of them is magnificent.




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