Where is Antarctica on the Map? A Look at the Southernmost Continent
Antarctica, the southernmost continent on our planet, occupies a unique position on the map and in our world. Though remote and little known, Antarctica has played an influential role in science, geopolitics, and our understanding of Earth.
An overview of Antarctica’s location
Antarctica is centered on the South Pole and sits entirely inside the Antarctic Circle (at 66°33’39” south of the equator). This puts it far below the other continents in latitude. Antarctica is also known as the “Great Southern Land” and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
The continent is mostly south of the Antarctic Convergence, which is a natural boundary in the Southern Ocean where warmer waters from more northern latitudes mix with cold Antarctic waters. This convergence acts as a natural barrier, insulating Antarctica and helping give it the coldest climate on Earth.
In terms of longitude, Antarctica extends from 90°W to 150°W, a span of about 5,400 miles (8,700 km) across. The continent covers an overall area of about 5.4 million square miles (14 million square km). This makes Antarctica slightly smaller in area than Europe or Australia. It accounts for about 10% of all land on Earth.
Antarctica’s topography and landforms
The Antarctic continent can broadly be divided into two main geographical regions – East Antarctica and West Antarctica. These are separated by the huge Transantarctic Mountains range that spans nearly 2,800 miles (4,500 km) across the continent.
Much of East Antarctica consists of a high, ice-covered polar plateau. The highest elevation here reaches 13,428 feet (4,097 meters) at Vinson Massif. Other notable landforms are the huge Gamburtsev Mountain range and Lake Vostok buried deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
Meanwhile, West Antarctica has a more rugged, mountainous landscape. It contains the Antarctic Peninsula as well as Marie Byrd Land and Ellsworth Land. The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the continent and contains the Antarctic’s highest active volcano, Mount Erebus (12,448 feet or 3,794 meters).
Nearly 98% of Antarctica’s surface is covered in thick ice sheets and glaciers. Beneath this ice, Antarctica is made up largely ofcontinental rock and is home to Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake in the world.
Antarctica’s climate: the coldest place on Earth
With its location centered on the South Pole, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. Temperatures average around -76°F in winter and 32°F in summer along the coast. But in the high inland plateau, it can get much colder still, dropping below -135°F (-93°C) at the South Pole in winter.
Antarctica is also the driest continent, with average annual precipitation of just 8 inches (200 mm) along the coast and far less inland. Thick ice sheets, sometimes over a mile deep (1.6 km), cover about 98% of Antarctica. The remaining 2% of land is covered by barren rock and cannot sustain vegetation except for some mosses and lichens.
The extreme cold and ice make Antarctica essentially a desert. But the coast does see rainfall, snowfall, and fog that give nourishment to limited plant life in Antarctica’s few ice-free areas during summer.
Strong winds frequently pummel Antarctica’s coasts, with wind speeds over 200 mph recorded in the interior. The wintertime air mass over Antarctica also leads to very stable weather, with mostly clear skies and little precipitation.
Antarctica’s unique features and discoveries
Antarctica holds around 70% of the planet’s fresh water as ice. The Antarctic Ice Sheet extends over 5 million square miles (14 million km2) and averages over a mile (1.6 km) thick. This ice represents an enormous amount of stored freshwater.
Beneath the ice sheet, Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Mountain range was amazingly only discovered in 1958. And not until 2012 was it confirmed that this huge mountain chain is over 1 billion years old, providing key insights into the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana.
In the 1990s, Russian scientists drilled into Lake Vostok and tapped into the largest subglacial lake on Earth. This lake has been isolated for millions of years under more than 2 miles (3 km) of Antarctic ice. Study of Lake Vostok and other subglacial lakes in Antarctica will likely yield new insights into biology, geology, and even astrobiology.
The driest place on Earth has also been found in Antarctica – the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Some parts of this region have seen no rain or snow for nearly 2 million years. The valleys are essentially a cold, polar desert and sustain microscopic life but virtually zero plant or animal life.
Antarctica also has a variety of maritime habitats, including abundant krill that support populations of whales, seals, penguins, and seabirds during the summer months. The nutritionally rich waters around Antarctica are a vital part of global oceanic circulation.
The Human History of Antarctica
Humans first set sight on Antarctica in 1820, and the continent’s extensive exploration began in earnest over the next century. Today, Antarctica has no native human population but maintains a rich history of exploration and scientific research.
Early exploration and the heroic age
European ships sailing far south in the 17th century were the first to note evidence of a southern polar landmass. In 1820, American sealer John Davis made the first confirmed landing on mainland Antarctica. Through the 1830s and 1840s, explorers including James Clark Ross mapped the Antarctic coastline and discovered the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf.
The “Heroic Age” of Antarctic exploration began around 1895. This marked the start of ambitious overland expeditions aimed at reaching the South Pole. Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen became household names with their epic Antarctic voyages. Ultimately, Amundsen and his Norwegian team made it to the Pole first in December 1911.
The race to claim Antarctic territory
Over the first half of the 1900s, several countries made territorial claims in Antarctica. The UK first formally claimed parts of West Antarctica in 1917. Australia, New Zealand, France, Norway, Chile, and Argentina eventually made claims as well, some of them overlapping.
To help avoid conflict over these competing claims, twelve nations active in the region negotiated the unique Antarctica Treaty of 1959. This treaty set the continent aside for peaceful, non-military uses centered on scientific research and environmental preservation. Today, over 50 nations are party to the treaty.
Antarctica today: research in a pristine wilderness
In the modern era, Antarctica maintains zero permanent human residents. But each summer season (October to February), anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 researchers and staff descend onto the continent across a range of seasonal research stations maintained by different nations. The facilities at McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station are the largest.
Scientific study in fields like biology, geology, glaciology, climate science, astronomy, and more continues to uncover new insights about Earth, climate change, ecosystems, and even distant galaxies using Antarctica’s pristine conditions. This research also informs policy decisions aimed at protecting Antarctica’s environment.
Ecotourism is also on the rise, with around 40,000 tourists visiting each year aboard cruise ships to witness Antarctica’s landscapes, whales, seals, and millions of penguins firsthand. But all human activity is tightly managed to limit environmental impact under the Antarctica Treaty’s mandates.
Preserving Antarctica largely untouched will allow future generations to continue leveraging the continent as an unparalleled laboratory for science and a benchmark for environmental conservation. The future of research – and humanity’s shared interest in protecting this special place – is bright.
5 Unique Facts About Antarctica’s Location and Geography
- Antarctica contains 90% of the world’s ice and around 70% of the planet’s freshwater.
- The Antarctic Ice Sheet’s average thickness is over 1 mile (1.6 km), with a maximum thickness of over 3 miles (4.8 km).
- Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth, with winds reaching 200 mph (320 km/h) along some coastal areas.
- The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128.6°F (-89.2°C) at Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.
- Antarctica is the driest continent, with only 200 mm (8 inches) of precipitation falling annually along the coast and far less inland.
5 Key Questions about Antarctica’s Geography
- How big is Antarctica compared to other continents?
- At around 5.4 million square miles (14 million sq km), Antarctica is the 5th largest continent, smaller than Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.
- What are Antarctica’s highest mountains and peaks?
- The Transantarctic Mountains, over 2,800 miles long (4,500 km), separate East and West Antarctica. The highest peak is Vinson Massif at 16,050 feet (4,897 m).
- Does Antarctica have any exposed land?
- Yes, around 2% of Antarctica is rock and soil free from permanent ice and snow, mostly along mountain ranges and coastal areas.
- Are there any active volcanoes in Antarctica?
- Yes, Mount Erebus on Ross Island is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. Several other volcanoes in Antarctica have shown recent activity.
- How thick is the ice sheet covering Antarctica?
- It averages over 1 mile thick (1.6 km) and reaches a maximum depth of over 3 miles (4.8 km) in parts of East Antarctica. Underneath lies continental bedrock.