Antarctica, the world’s southernmost continent, is almost wholly covered by an ice sheet and is about 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square km) in size. Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and has the highest average elevation Researchers warn antarctica is undergoing abrupt changes that could trigger global consequences
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Melting ice, collapsing ice shelves, and disrupted ocean circulation threaten sea levels.
Without any ice, antarctica would emerge as a giant peninsula and archipelago of mountainous islands, known as lesser antarctica, and a single large landmass about the size of australia, known as greater antarctica.
Though antarctica is really, really chilly, it is considered a desert because it receives very little rain or snowfall The small amount of snow that does fall does not melt but builds up over hundreds and thousands of years to form large, thick ice sheets. Visit the definitions and notes page to view a description of each topic. Despite its massive size, antarctica has no permanent population due to its harsh climate, icy terrain, and remote location.
The antarctic comprises the continent of antarctica, the kerguelen plateau, and other island territories located on the antarctic plate or south of the antarctic convergence.
