The coldest continent in the extreme south

No continent of our planet so attracted researchers to it, like Antarctica. None so skillfully could not keep their many secrets to this day. It is a unique continent, it is completely different from the rest. Of course, its main difference from others is the extremely harsh climatic conditions that turned Antarctica into the coldest continent. It was also promoted by the fact that the continent is the highest on the Earth, its surface rises above the ocean by 4000 meters. And also the fact that he almost completely settled down behind the Southern Arctic Circle. In Antarctica is the South Pole of our planet, and also - the pole of cold.

History of research

The existence of a large sushi in the Southern Arctic Circle was assumed by people back in ancient times. On some maps of the Middle Ages, not only the full outline of the continent is seen, but details are marked, strikingly similar to the actual ones. Attempts to find the coldest continent have been undertaken a lot, but the first was to make Russian sailors Lazarev and Bellingshausen. It happened in 1820. The first people to visit the South Pole were the Norwegians, led by Rual Amundsen in 1911. But the mainland began to be studied only in the second half of the 20th century. Then it became known that Antarctica is the coldest continent.

Modern research

The territory of the continent does not belong to any state, there is no permanent population. But the mainland is of interest to many countries in the world, and they built research stations for its research. Russia is no exception. Special International Treaty since 1959 Antarctica, in fact, turned into a huge natural scientific laboratory, in which scientists from different countries work together.

Relief

The researchers managed to establish that the basis of the sixth continent is the Antarctic platform. It is covered from above with a huge glacial dome, the thickness of which in some places reaches 4 km. And under it, as well as on other parts of the world, lie mountains and plains, not unlike the others. There are active volcanoes here, the highest of them is Erebus. There are many minerals in the bowels of Antarctica, but they are still poorly understood.

Why is Antarctica the coldest continent?

The climate here is unusually harsh. -89,2 ° C - such a low temperature here was once fixed. This coldest place on our planet, called the pole of cold, is near the polar station "Vostok". The surface of the continent, covered with snow and ice, reflects almost all incoming solar energy. Above the continent is constantly a region of high atmospheric
Pressure, the air from its center moves to the periphery. This causes the strongest winds and very low temperatures. Here the whole desert is covered by an icy desert.

Cruises to Antarctica

To make an unforgettable journey to the realm of eternal cold today has become possible for everyone. There are many travel companies that organize such trips. Tours usually last from 10 to 40 days, their cost depending on the chosen mode of transport reaches up to 60 thousand dollars.

Despite the severity of local conditions, on the mainland there are many unusual and interesting places for tourists. An example is the dry valleys of Victoria, the Master and Taylor - these are really the driest places on Earth, here no precipitation has been falling for the last two million years. There is neither snow nor ice there. The island of South Georgia will impress with its unusual appearance, however, just like the whole of Antarctica. The photo taken in this corner of the planet will for a long time remind us of the coldest, but such a beautiful, severe severity of the continent.