Antarctic trivia:-

Did you know that Antarctica is the driest continent on earth? 

We all know that Antarctica is the coldest continent, but it is also the driest on the planet. Antarctica averages only 166mm a year on the coastal areas, and even less inland. That is around 6.5 inches a year! But it does not rain. The air is way too cold for rain, so it mostly falls as snow.

Did you know that Antarctica is not a country (it is a continent) and is not owned by anyone?

Antarctica is actually governed by a group of nations called the Antarctic Treaty. This was first agreed upon by a representative of 7 countries back on the 1st December, 1959.  The first 7 countries were Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Did you know that Antarctica does not have an official time zone?

As the continent mainly has 6 months of daylight, and 6 months of darkness a lot of the visitors to the Antarctic Peninsula and coastal mainland will observe the same time zone as Ushuaia, Argentina. However, there is no time zone to set your watch to. 

How cold does it get for tourists on an expedition cruise?

It is actually going to be warmer than you think. The expedition cruising season commences in late October through to March as they are the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months. The ice is usually easier to navigate through as you start to move through the season. The temperature on land can hover around 0 Celsius (32F) and as it moves into January that can rise as high as 7 Celsius (45F). When the sun is out and the wind is light it can be so warm on land you may find yourself taking off a layer or unzipping your jacket to cool off! While on deck and out of the wind it can be extremely pleasant in the sun. The key of course is to have layers on – so that you can adjust to the changing weather. Check out my blog posts for hints and tips about what to pack for your expedition cruise.

What are some other names Antarctica is known by?

– The Great White Continent

– The 7th Continent

– The End of the earth

– The Frozen Continent

– The land of the Penguins

– Arktos (the ancient Greeks named this after the Great bear constellation)

– The South Pole

– Terra Australis Incognita (meaning the unknown southern land)

What are the common conspiracy theories surrounding Antarctica?

With some estimates saying that visitors to Antarctica number less than .005% of the global population, it is easy to see why conspiracy theories abound. Here are some of the more well-known ones:- 

– There is a pyramid in a mountain range in Antarctica

– There were alien remains discovered in Antarctica and Military forces from various countries raced in to claim them

– There is a secret underground nazi base in Antarctica

– Antarctica is an ice wall that surrounds the earth (popular with flat earthers)

– The lost city of Atlantis is buried deep beneath Antarctica

Other fun facts to impress your friends and family…

There are dry valleys in Antarctica that have such low humidity that snow and ice cannot accumulate.

There is a lake in Antarctica that is very salty, and it cannot ever freeze over even when temperatures reach below zero! 

There are over 80 research stations on the Antarctic continent! These are managed by 30 countries and the numbers of researchers and workers fall to only a skeleton crew during the winter.

There have been 11 people born in Antarctica

The Ice sheet in Antarctica is the largest mass of ice anywhere in the world. The whole Antarctic continent contains almost 90% of the worlds freshwater ice and may contain 70% of the total fresh water in the world.

On average, the white continent is the windiest place on earth! Researchers have recorded wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.