20 facts about Antarctica you may not have heard of

Icebergs, penguins, a breathtaking feast of light… These are just a few of the things that come to mind when Antarctica is mentioned. There’s a lot we don’t know about this mysterious continent located in the southernmost part of the world. Let’s talk about the facts we know as scientists uncover the secrets of this enigmatic continent. Here are 20 facts about Antarctica that you may not have heard of!

1. Antarctica, the only continent in the world without citizens! Scientists who go there for research can only stay in Antarctica for 3 to 6 months.

2. There are no polar bears in Antarctica. These polar bears can only live at the north pole. Antarctica’s environment is too cold even for them

3. The name Antarctica comes from the Greek word “Antarctica”, meaning “opposite the North Pole”.

4. Antarctica is considered an arctic desert due to its polar environment and occasional rains. The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert in the world, as it is twice the size of the Sahara Desert.

5. Here is a waterfall called “Bloodfall”! Located on the Taylor Glacier, this waterfall gets its name from its blood red color. Studies show that this situation arose as a result of sea level rise 5 million years ago.

6. South of Sanity, the 2012 horror film is the only movie filmed entirely in Antarctica.

7. Antarctica wasn’t covered in ice 100 million years ago! Research shows that this continent was once inhabited by frogs, birds, and even dinosaurs.

8. Adolf Hitler went on an expedition to Antarctica to collect whale oil needed to lubricate weapons and make margarine.

9. Fish living in the icy waters of Antarctica have a special protein called “antifreeze” that allows them to survive in this environment.

10. There are months when the sun never rises on the continent! In winter, Antarctica does not see the sun, this is caused by the movements of the earth.

11. Another species that cannot survive in Antarctica because of the cold is sharks! The only exception is the now extinct sand tiger shark called striatolamia macrota.

12. There is a famous saying about people living in Antarctica. “If you sweat, you will die.” Because in polar conditions like Antarctica, sweating causes hypothermia.

13. December 1 – Antarctica Day. This day is celebrated to commemorate the signing of the Antarctic Treaty.

14. Argentina and Chile sent 11 pregnant women to research stations in Antarctica, causing deliberate childbirth on the continent. This is because both countries have claims to Antarctica, but those efforts were wasted by the Antarctic Treaty.

15. Emilio Marcos Palma is the first person to be born in Antarctica.

16. According to observations by NASA scientists, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan in March 2011 created new icebergs in Antarctica.

17. There are only two ice sheets on Earth, Antarctica and Greenland!

18. Antarctica is almost as big as the United States and Mexico combined.

19. According to a study conducted in 2017, there are 138 volcanoes in Antarctica. With the exception of Mount Erebus and Deception Island, which are still active, all volcanoes are either dormant or covered in ice.

20. According to the Danish travel platform, April to September is the worst time to visit Antarctica due to low temperatures and almost no sunshine.

That concludes our article on 20 facts about Antarctica that you may not have heard of yet! We hope you enjoyed what you read about the coldest continent in the world.

You may be interested in:

Nearly a quarter of West Antarctica’s ice is unstable

A source