18 Incredible Facts About Antarctica 

When people think of Antarctica, they usually think of a cold empty place, which would be right. It feels like the mythical Antarctica is all alone, isolated from other continents like Asia, North America, and Australia. It’s not as far as one might assume though. It differs from South America, Europe, and Africa in that it doesn’t contain a large population, various nations, or bustling cities. It’s a fascinating and scary place full of stunning facts.

The climate and temperature are causing famous glaciers to melt slowly while beneath the cold surface are hidden lakes and volcanoes. Even time operates differently in Antarctica. After discovering the New World and before traveling to space, humans explored Antarctica in the 19th century and discovered many amazing things. So let’s take a closer look at some of the most incredible facts about the cold continent. 

18 Incredible Facts About Antarctica 

1. The Coldest Day Ever

Antarctica is extremely cold, with intense winds and freezing cold conditions. The temperature is so cold that the water vapor turns into ice crystals before it hits the ground. If the cold isn’t enough to persuade you to visit, the wind speeds are also enormous, reaching up to 200 mph.

Antarctica is also the coldest place on Earth. On August 10, 2010, the Vostok Station recorded the coldest day in Antarctica at minus 93.2 C or 136 F.

2. There Are No Reptiles 

Antarctica has a large biodiversity made up of a wide range of animals and creatures living in the region, but surprisingly none are reptiles. Reptiles are abundant on most continents but likely can’t survive the cold conditions of Antarctica. The area does have an abundance of birds, including gulls, petrels, and penguins, notably emperor penguins.

The apex predators of the continent are leopard seals. The sea life also includes blue whales, orcas, and fur seals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the area attracted seal hunters who desired the pelt.

3. No Permanent Residents 

Antarctica has never had permanent residents on the continent. The first semi-residents who inhabited the land, American and British sealers, began arriving after 1786. In the whaling era, roughly 1,000 to 2,000 hunters lived on the empty land during the summer. In the winter months, the number dropped to 200. Currently, Antarctica is strictly for research purposes and tourism.

The research stations remain staffed all year round, with 1,000 residents in the winter and 5,000 during the summer. They conduct exploration and experiments, studying the thickness of the ice, ozone layer, melting patterns, and the vast history of the area.

Fun fact: On October 7, 1978, Emilio Palma became the first person born in the Antarctic. 

4. The Antarctic Treaty System 

Throughout history, many countries attempted to claim Antarctica. Then in 1959, all the countries vying for the cold landscape agreed to sign the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty ensures the continent will have environmental protection, allowing the countries who signed the freedom to conduct scientific studies, research, and investigations.

Only countries conducting research in Antarctica can sign the treaty. Initially, the United States, Chile, Australia, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the treaty, but several other nations have followed suit. 

5. The Seven Churches of Antarctica 

The majority of Antarctica is a vast, empty polar desert stretching for miles. The only residents are those working at research stations or rare tourists visiting. There are currently seven churches on the continent catering to various religions, including Trinity Chapel, The Ice Cave Catholic Chapel at Belgrano II Base, San Francisco de Asis Chapel, Ivan Rilski Chapel, Chilian Chapel of Santa Maria Reina de la Paz, and Catholic Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan at Marambio Base.

The Church of Snows sits near an American science station on Ross Island. It’s a non-denominational church that caters to all religions, including Buddhism and Bhai. 

6. Ozone Hole

In the 1970s, scientists began studying the atmosphere above Antarctica and made a surprising discovery. In the 1980s, British researchers at the Halley Research Station on Brunt Ice Shelf uncovered an “ozone hole” stretching above the entire continent.

Pollution and emission of toxic gases split the ozone into other gases. The severe cold from the polar stratospheric clouds triggered a chemical response causing the ozone to deplete rapidly. The 1987 Montreal Protocol limited the emissions of toxic gases harming the ozone. With the protocols in place, the ozone hole should slowly vanish by 2060. 

7. Blood Falls 

From the ice-covered glaciers of Antarctica flows a red color resembling blood rushing out of a living creature. The mind-blowing Blood Falls pours from Taylor Glacier onto the ice-covered West Lake Bonney. Located in the Taylor Valley in East Antarctica, it’s a surge of iron oxide in saltwater arising from tiny cracks in the ice cascades that cause the red color. Roughly 1,300 feet below Blood Falls is a subglacial saltwater pool that is also the color red. 

8. 90% of the World’s Ice Is Found in Antarctica 

Surrounded by the Southern Ocean, Antarctica is the coldest and driest continent. It’s mostly a polar desert covered in a thick ice sheet. Antarctica consists of 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves. It also contains 90% of the world’s ice. If the ice melted, it would raise sea levels around the world by up to 200 feet. 

9. The Antarctic Ice Sheet Is 45 Million Years Old

The Antarctic ice sheet is the most enormous mass of ice on Earth and one of two polar ice caps. The ice sheet alone holds about 61% of Earth’s fresh water. It formed between 60 and 45 million years ago during the Late Palaeocene or Middle Eocene. It increased 34 million years ago during the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event. In West Antarctica, the ice sheet extends 2,500 meters below sea level, while in East Antarctica, the ice sheet sits on a massive land mass. 

10. It’s Melting 

Due to climate change and other factors, the Antarctic has suffered through a loss of ice, mainly in West Antarctica and the Antarctic peninsula. 98% of ice covers the entire continent. It’ll continue to lose ice based on the current climate change conditions. If only West Antarctica melts, the sea leaves will rise 16 feet. Scientists have also noticed a slight shift in gravity as the ice continues to melt.

11. The Melting of Pine Island Glacier

In the 1940s, the Pine Island Glacier began to retreat, increasing in speed from 1973 to 2013. As of 2023, it’s the fastest-melting glacier in Antarctica. The melting of the Pine Island Glacier is already responsible for 25% of the area’s ice loss. In 2020, an iceberg twice the size of Washington, DC, broke off, accelerating the melting process.

Evidence suggests a subglacial volcano in the Hudson Mountains beneath the Antarctic ice erupted 2,200 years ago. Snow and ice then covered volcanic ash, which spread onto the Pine Island Glacier. Further evidence suggests volcanic heat coming from beneath the melting glacier is also causing the ice to melt faster. 

12. The South Pole Discovered 

Many explorers dreamt of being the first to reach the Antarctic’s elusive South Pole. In the 18th century, Captain James Cook was one of the first people to spot Antarctica. Explorations increased over the 19th and 20th centuries, with the famed South Pole as the primary goal.

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen beat Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton to become the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911. 34 days later, a separate expedition, Terra Nova, was shocked to discover Amundsen and his team beat them to the location. Five members of Terra Nova died on the return journey.

13. The Lakes Under the Ice Sheet

Amazingly, roughly 400 lakes sit beneath the giant sheets of ice. The largest of these lakes, Lake Vostok, is under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet at the Southern Pole of Cold. In the late 50s, the Soviet Union established Vostok Station in its current location. Soviet scientists soon began to suspect the station was sitting above a giant lake, hence the name Lake Vostok. 

14. There Is an Active Volcano in Antarctica

In 1841, explorer Sir James Clark Ross and his expedition discovered the incredible Mount Erebus. It’s the largest active volcano on the continent and the second largest volcano. The summit elevation is more than 12,000 feet.

Researchers believe it’s been active for 1.3 million years. One of the five oldest lava lakes exists on the innermost crater of the volcano, first appearing in the 1970s. On November 28, 1979, an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed into the mountain, killing everyone on board.  

15. The Midnight Sun

In the summer, Antarctica experiences hours of daylight due to a phenomenon called the midnight sun. The Sun remains above the horizon at all times during those months. It’s even visible when the clock strikes midnight in parts south of the Antarctic Circle. It’s an incredible marvel caused by the seasonal tilt of the Earth toward the sun during the summer months. 

16. There Are No Time Zones

Unlike the rest of the continents, Antarctica has no time zones. The continent technically sits in every time zone. From June to December, the south of the Antarctic Circle goes through intense day-night cycles. The extreme cycles make it difficult to ascertain what time zone Antarctica is in.

Many of the research stations simply follow the time of their home country. As explained previously, this allows the extraordinary phenomenon known as the midnight sun to make it impossible for many people stationed there to experience long days of sun. This is why the continent doesn’t observe daylight savings time, although specific research stations still follow daylight savings based on the country they represent. 

17. Polar Night

During the winter months, Antarctica experiences another phenomenon known as polar night. In this case, the Earth’s tilt causes the Sun to remain below the horizon all day, keeping the empty lands dark for more than 24 hours. It’s basically the opposite of the midnight sun. 

18. Tourism Is Thriving 

Despite the intense cold, harsh winds, and dry conditions, Antarctica is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Tourism began in the 1960s and has now expanded to include scenic flights, sea cruises, and yachting. With a special permit, tourists can even land in Antarctica and participate in a long list of activities, such as hiking, skiing, and camping. It’s truly the adventure of a lifetime.