2. Antarctica is located at the south pole. It is surrounded
by the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
3. •Antarctica has no cities, permanent residents,
government, or capital.
•Many countries have scientific research stations on
Antarctica with seasonal manning. A few Antarctic
stations have all year round manning. 1,000 to 5,000
people reside throughout the year at the research
stations scattered across the continent.
4. Climate: Antarctica is the coldest and windiest spot on
the planet. In fact, the lowest temperature ever
recorded on Earth was recorded in Antarctica (-129.3ºF)
and the average winter temperatures range from -40º to
-94ºF. Winds are commonly measured at up to 200 miles
per hour.
6. What Time Is It? A tricky question in a
place where all time zones converge. So
everyone in Antarctica officially goes by New
Zealand time.
7. The animals are a really unique part of Antarctica.
They include fish, whales, sharks, seals, arctic terns,
and penguins.
Cod
Ice Fish
It has a type of “anti-freeze” in its
body to help keep it from freezing.
8. Whales
•The whales of Antarctica have many things in
common. They all go to Antarctica because of the
food source. They eat krill, fish, squid, and some even
eat plankton. They also all migrate to different
oceans. No whale stays in Antarctica all year round.
Blue Whale Humpback Whale
Killer Whale
9. •Not every animal can stand the freezing cold water of the Antarctic, but
the seals of Antarctica can because of its 2-4 inches of thick blubber.
They stay by shore and live close to packs of ice. The pups are even born
on ice during April or May.
•The seals of Antarctica eat shrimp, crab, clams, snails, cod, and even
penguin pups. They can eat 10 pounds a day but they can hardly even taste
it because they don't have any taste buds.The seals' whiskers help the
seals find prey. Since the seals eat so much, the male can weigh up to 250
pounds.
Seals
10. •The Arctic tern is only one of three animals that lives year round in
Antarctica. The other two are ice worms and penguins. They can survive
the cold winters because of their warm, feather coat.
Arctic Tern
11. •Of the sharks of Antarctica the salmon shark has been studied by
scientists the most. They usually live on the west and north sides of
Antarctica, but do migrate into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They are
extremely fast swimmers and can swim up to 50 miles per hour. Most of
the time they stay in shallow water because of the types of food they
eat. They will eat almost anything, including fish, penguins, seals, sting
rays, and other sharks.
Sharks
12. •There are 17 different kinds of penguins that live in Antarctica.
They are the Adele, Black-footed, Chinstrap, Emperor, Erectrested,
Fiordland, Gentoo, Galapagos, Humboldt, King, Little blue, Magellanic,
Macaroni, Rock Hopper, Royal, Snares Island, and the Yellow eyed
penguin. Penguins live in groups called rookeries and live in
Antarctica year round. They eat mostly krill, squid, and fish.
Penguins
Adele
Macaroni
Gentoo
Chinstrap
13. The climate of Antarctica does not allow extensive
vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures,
poor soil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of
sunlight prevent many plants from growing. As a
result, plant life is limited to mostly mosses and
liverworts.
Plants
