The extreme capes of Antarctica. Extreme points of Antarctica
Antarctica is the most unusual and mysterious continent on the planet. Surprisingly, unlike other continents, only the extreme northern point of this continent can be determined. Why Antarctica has only one extreme point, and what name it bears, we will discuss in this article.
Antarctica: general information
Antarctica received its name thanks to the Scottish cartographer J. Bartholomew. It was he who began to mark it this way on maps at the end of the 19th century. But unofficially the name was assigned to the mainland much earlier. Antarctica means “opposite the Arctic,” that is, “opposite the north.” And really, what else should we call the land located in the Antarctic Circle?
Antarctica was discovered by Russian navigators F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev in 1820 as a result of their round-the-world expedition. And although they only sailed to the shores of the mainland, but did not land on it, it is they who are credited with its discovery.
Rice. 1. F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev.
At the heart of Antarctica is the Antarctic Plate. Antarctica is covered with an ice dome whose thickness reaches 4 km. Taking into account the height of the glacier, the continent is considered the highest of all continents. Under the ice sheet there are mountains and lowlands. Under the weight of the ice, the bed of the continent has caved in, and a significant part of it lies below the level of the World Ocean. At the outskirts of the mainland, on one of the islands of the Ross Sea, there is an active volcano Erebus.
Rice. 2. Volcano Erebus in Antarctica.
Almost all of Antarctica is located in the Antarctic climate zone. This is the coldest continent, where the maximum minus temperature is -89.2 degrees. Throughout the year, an anticyclone dominates over Antarctica; the weather there is dry and clear. From the center of the continent (an area of high pressure) constant winds blowing to the coast, reaching hurricane force, they are called katabatic winds.
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There are no rivers in Antarctica, since precipitation on this continent falls exclusively in solid form.
Extreme points of Antarctica and their coordinates
Antarctica has an area of 14 million square meters. km and is washed by three oceans: Indian, Pacific and Atlantic. It is unique in that it is almost entirely located within the Antarctic Circle. Due to the location of the continent, we cannot talk about the extent of Antarctica from north to south or from west to east. Since the South Pole is located within Antarctica, and there is no direction to the east or west for the pole, it is impossible to distinguish the southernmost point of Antarctica, as well as the western and eastern ones. All directions from the South Pole lead only to the north. In Antarctica, only the extreme northern point can be determined, and it is located on the Antarctic Peninsula. The northernmost point of Antarctica is Cape Sifre, also known as Cape Prime Head. It is located at 63 degrees south latitude.
Rice. 3. Cape Sifre on the map of Antarctica.
Usually tourists and travelers do not bypass the extreme points of the continents. On the Internet you can find a huge number of photographs from the extreme points of other continents. But only scientists, researchers and the most seasoned travelers decide to go to the Antarctic island. Temperatures there can drop to -90 degrees.
There is no state or permanent residents in Antarctica. There are only research stations here, where activities are carried out exclusively for peaceful purposes, since in 1959 many countries signed a law on Antarctica, which prohibits activities for military purposes on its territory.
The southernmost point of the planet is the South Pole. Thus, Cape Sifre, being the northernmost point of Antarctica, can also be considered the southernmost point of the planet.
What have we learned?
Antarctica, unlike other continents, has only one extreme point - the northern one. This point is Cape Sifre (Cape Prime Head). Antarctica has the coldest temperatures in the world. they can drop to almost -90 degrees. and there are no rivers on the mainland, since it doesn’t rain here either.
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August 24, 2016Antarctica is the driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth. Find out about other features of the continent and the extreme points of Antarctica in our article.
Land of icy deserts
Antarctica was once called the “Southland” because the continent is the southernmost on the planet. Despite this, the continent is completely covered in ice. The coldest temperatures in the world are observed here. The record was set in 1983, when a temperature of -89 degrees Celsius was recorded.
Sunset and sunrise on the continent can only be observed once a year. In winter it does not rise at all, and the entire continent is plunged into darkness. In summer, the sun always shines, never completely falling below the horizon. It is extremely difficult to live in such conditions, so the only population on the continent are station workers, changing every six months.
Description of the continent Antarctica
The name of the continent is interpreted as “anti-Arctic,” that is, the opposite of the Arctic - the North Pole. All extreme points of Antarctica are entirely located in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by Russian navigators Lazarev and Bellingshausen. They began to study the mainland much later, and it received its known name only in 1961.
The area of the continent is 14 million square kilometers. Its glaciers contain about 80% of the world's fresh water. Kilometer-long layers of ice hide the diversity of the continent's topography. In the central part it rises 4 kilometers above sea level and is the highest on the planet. Its mountain folds are a continuation of the South American Andes, and most of the territory is flat.
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Extreme points of Antarctica
This cold land is quite remote from other continents. The closest to it is South America, which is located at a distance of about 1000 meters. The continent is located in the polar latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. In this regard, all extreme points of Antarctica have one direction and can only be northern. Taking into account the unique features of the continent, researchers identify only one extreme point - Prime Head Cape.
Unlike most of the mainland, the cape is located in front of the Antarctic Circle. Its coordinates: 63°13" S, 57°00′ E. It belongs to Graham Land - a disputed territory between Argentina and Great Britain. The climate in the Prime Head area is quite mild. In summer, the air can warm up to a temperature of + 10 degrees, so sometimes you can even find plants here.
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Antarctica is the driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth. Find out about other features of the continent and the extreme points of Antarctica in our article.
Land of icy deserts
Antarctica was once called the “Southland” because the continent is the southernmost on the planet. Despite this, the continent is completely covered in ice. Here they are celebrated in the world. The record was set in 1983, when a temperature of -89 degrees Celsius was recorded.
Sunset and sunrise on the continent can only be observed once a year. In winter it does not rise at all, and the entire continent is plunged into darkness. In summer, the sun always shines, never completely falling below the horizon. It is extremely difficult to live in such conditions, so the only population on the continent are station workers, changing every six months.
Description of the continent Antarctica
The name of the continent is interpreted as “anti-Arctic,” that is, the opposite of the Arctic - the North Pole. All extreme points of Antarctica are entirely located in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by Russian navigators Lazarev and Bellingshausen. They began to study the mainland much later, and it received its known name only in 1961.
The area of the continent is 14 million square kilometers. Its glaciers contain about 80% of the world's fresh water. Kilometer-long layers of ice hide the diversity of the continent's topography. In the central part it rises 4 kilometers above sea level and is the highest on the planet. Its mountain folds are a continuation of the South American Andes, and most of the territory is flat.
Extreme points of Antarctica
This cold land is quite remote from other continents. The closest to it is South America, which is located at a distance of about 1000 meters. The continent is located in the polar latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. In this regard, all extreme points of Antarctica have one direction and can only be northern. Taking into account the unique features of the continent, researchers identify only one extreme point - Prime Head Cape.
Unlike most of the mainland, the cape is located in front of the Antarctic Circle. Its coordinates: 63°13" S, 57°00′ E. It belongs to Graham Land - a disputed territory between Argentina and Great Britain. The climate in the Prime Head area is quite mild. In summer, the air can warm up to a temperature of + 10 degrees, so sometimes you can even find plants here.
