Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in the world. The icy continent covers more than 5.4 million square miles about one and a half times of the size of the United States. It is situated almost entirely within the Arctic Circle that's why the temperatures are consistently below zero. Almost 99 percent of Antarctica is covered in ice which is over 20 million square kilometers and only 1 percent is ice-free. This ice, with an average thickness of 1.6 km, contributes about 70 percent of the planet freshwater and 90 percent of the planet freshwater ice. Antarctica is the coldest part of the world. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth is minus 89.2 degrees Celsius on July 21, 1983, at Antarctica's Vostok station. Once a period of 40-50 million years ago the continent was as warm as California is currently because there were higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That time the temperature has reached up to 17 degrees Celsius. A Russian expedition first discovered Antarctica in 1820.
Antarctica is not only the coldest but also windiest, highest and driest continent on Earth. The Dry Valleys in Antarctica are the driest places on earth with low humidity and almost no snow or ice cover. The valleys are just a dusty expanse of dirt.
Antarctica has several volcanoes, the largest of them is Mount Erebus, this volcano was formed around 1.3 million years ago, and is almost 12,500 feet above sea level.
The largest ice shelf of Antarctica is the Ross Ice Shelf, which is 197,000 square miles, 3.7 percent of the total area of Antarctica.
The Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent into two sections. The 2,175 miles long Transantarctic range is one of the longest mountain ranges on Earth.
There are more than 300 lakes in Antarctica. Lake Vostok is the biggest among them.
Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth. Sometimes the wind speed have reached up to 200 miles per hour.
The Gamburtsev Mountains is the biggest mountain range in Antarctica.
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