158 ANTARCTICA
Antarctica
FACTFILE
DATE OF FORMATION: 1961
TOTAL AREA: 5,405,000 sq. miles
(14,000,000 sq. km)
The circumpolar continent of Antarctica is almost entirely covered by
ice, some up to 1.2 miles (2 km) thick. It also contains 90% of the Earth’s
freshwater reserves.
GEOGRAPHY
The bulk of Antarctica’s ice is
contained in the Greater Antarctic Ice
Sheet – a huge dome that rises steeply
from the coast and flattens to a plateau
in the interior.
CLIMATE
Powerful winds create a storm belt
around the continent, which brings cloud,
fog, and blizzards. Winter temperatures
can fall to –112°F (–80°C).
PEOPLE & SOCIETY
No indigenous population.
Scientists and logistical staff work at
the 40 permanent, and as many as
100 temporary, research stations. A
few Chilean settler families live on
King George Island. Tourism is mostly
by cruise ship to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Annual tourist numbers have reached
nearly 50,000.
INSIGHT: If the ice sheets of
Antarctica were to melt, the
world’s oceans would rise by as much
as 200–210 ft (60–65 m)
1000 km1000 miles00Permanent IceIce CapWeddell
SeaAmundsen
SeaRoss
SeaRoss Ice
ShelfRonne Ice
ShelfSOUTHERN
OCEANSOUTHERN
OCEANSOUTHERN
OCEANAntarctic
PeninsulaEllsworth
LandLand^QueenMaud^East
AntarcticaEnderby
LandWest
AntarcticaWilkesLandTr
an
sa
nt
ar
ct
ic(^) M
ts
.
V
ic
to
ri
a
L
an
d
South
Orkney Is.
South
Shetland Is.
King
George I.
Balleny Is.
South
Magnetic
Pole
South
Pole
(^) Anta
rctic
Cir
cle
The Antarctic Treaty of 1959
holds all territorial claims in
abeyance in the interest of
international cooperation
Australian
claimNorwegian undefined limitArgentinian claimChilean claimTerritorial Claims:
British claimBrazilian zone of interestFrench claim
New Zealand claim