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What are the physical features in Antarctica?
Antarctica is almost completely covered by an ice sheet. At its thickest, the ice is over 4 km deep. Beneath the ice sheet is a hidden landscape of mountains, valleys and plains.
What physical feature divides Antarctica?
A huge mountain chain called “The Transantarctic Mountains” divides the Antarctic continent into eastern and western regions.
Is there actual land in Antarctica?
The Antarctic continent lies on a large landmass. Underneath that smooth ice sheet there are mountains and valleys. The surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet is up to 4000 m high, and in places the ice is 4000 m deep, but the Gamburtsev Mountain range is up to 2,700 m high and lies underneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
What are the 5 facts about Antarctica?
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- Antarctica holds most of the world’s fresh water.
- Antarctica is a desert.
- Antarctica used to be as warm as Melbourne.
- The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming areas on Earth.
- There is no Antarctic time zone.
- Every way is north!
- Antarctica has active volcanoes.
What’s under the ice in Antarctica?
Antarctica is hiding a huge amount of water beneath its surface. Researchers have long suspected that there might be groundwater buried beneath the ice, but until now there has been no conclusive evidence to confirm that suspicion.
How cold is Antarctica?
In winter, sea ice envelops the continent and Antarctica is plunged into months of darkness. The monthly mean temperature at the South Pole in winter hovers around -60°C (-76°F). Along the coast, winter temperatures range between −15 and −20 °C (-5 and −4 °F).
What Antarctica is famous for?
Often described as a continent of superlatives, Antarctica is not only the world’s southernmost continent. It is also the world’s highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. Antarctica is about 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square km) in size, and thick ice covers about 98 percent of the land.