On Earth we find 7 continents - One of these continents are at the most Southern point of Earth and is called Antarctica.
- Can you name the other 6 continents? If you want some more information on this, read here
- and play the game.
The ocean that surrounds Antarctica is called the Southern Ocean and the South Pole is found in Antarctica.
Antarctica is twice as big as Australia and also bigger as Europe.
If you think of a desert you think of a lot of sand and very high temperatures, but an area is classified as a desert because of the amount of rain it gets. Antarctica gets very little rain and therefore is considered a desert. Most of Antarctica is covered in ice that can be up to 1.6 kilometers thick at places.
There are no cities or towns or people living there permanently, but there are many scientists that go there to do research on certain things like animals or the behaviour of plants and machinery in the cold etc.
There are animals like penguins and seals that have adapted to living in these extreme cold conditions. There are even a few types of plants that have adapted to survive here.
The name ‘Antarctica’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘opposite to the north’
90% of all the ice that is found on Earth is found on this continent. One of the problems of global warming is that the ice is melting. If all the ice would melt on Antarctica, the sea level would rise with 60 m which means there will be less land left.
- Name 3 things you know about Antarctica.
- Which seas meet to form the Southern Ocean?
- Which animals eat Krill?
- Which seal is the largest in the world and which one is the most dangerous.
- Name 6 species of penguins.
- Where do penguins move the fastest? On land or in sea?
- Have a look at the rest of the video showing you the wonderful species of animals living in the Southern ocean.