What Is Antarctica?December 8, 2010

What Is Antarctica?
December 8, 2010
Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's fifth largest continent.
Image Credit: NASA
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Antarctica is a continent. It is Earth's fifth largest continent. Antarctica is covered in ice. Antarctica covers Earth's South Pole.

What Is Antarctica Like?
Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The temperature in the winter is cold enough to freeze water all the time. The temperature in the middle of Antarctica is much colder than the temperature on the coasts.

Antarctica has two seasons: summer and winter. Earth is tilted in space and the direction of tilt never changes. During summer, Antarctica is on the side of Earth tilted toward the sun. It is always sunny. In winter, Antarctica is on the side of Earth tilted away from the sun. Then, the continent is always dark.

Antarctica is a desert. It does not rain or snow a lot there. When it snows, the snow does not melt and builds up over many years to make large, thick sheets of ice, called ice sheets. Antarctica is made up of lots of ice in the form of glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs.
An iceberg on an ice sheet
Icebergs form on ice sheets in Antarctica.
Image Credit: NASA
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Antarctica has no trees or bushes. The only plants that can live in a place that cold are moss and algae.