Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. At 14.0 million km² (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, averaging 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) in thickness.
Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside at various research stations. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae.
The first confirmed sighting of the continent occurred in 1820 by a Russian expedition. The first formal use of the name "Antarctica" as a continental name in the 1890s is attributed to the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew.
South Pole Station
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station during the long Antarctic night. Image by NASA
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Hannah Point
The beach at Hannah Point on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. Image by Lyubomir Ivanov
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Lake Fryxell
The blue ice covering Lake Fryxell, in the Transantarctic Mountains. Image by NASA
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