ÿþ<html> <head> <title> Antarctica Geography 2013, CIA World Factbook </title> <META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Antarctica Geography 2013, CIA World Factbook"> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="Antarctica, Geography, 2013, CIA, World, Factbook"> <script language="JavaScript"> function AddToFaves_hp(){ var is_4up = parseInt(navigator.appVersion); var is_mac = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf("mac")!=-1; var is_ie = navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase().indexOf("msie")!=-1; var thePage = location.href; if (thePage.lastIndexOf('#')!=-1) thePage = thePage.substring(0,thePage.lastIndexOf('#')); if (is_ie && is_4up && !is_mac) window.external.AddFavorite(thePage,document.title); else if (is_ie || document.images) booker_hp = window.open(thePage,'booker_','menubar,width=325,height=100,left=140,top=60'); //booker_hp.focus(); } //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> (function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js'; 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/* WFB Medium Rectangle */ google_ad_slot = "5200087626"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <br> Page last updated on November 15, 2012 <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#location">Location:</a></b><br> continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#geographic_coordinates">Geographic coordinates:</a></b><br> 90 00 S, 0 00 E <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/maps/">Map references</a>: </b><br> Antarctic Region</a> <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#area">Area:</a></b><br> <i>total: </i>14 million sq km <br>[see also: <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/total_area_sq_km_2013_0.html" target="_blank"><u>Area - total country ranks</u></a> ] <br><i> land: </i>14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.) <br><i> <em>note:</em> </i>fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#area_comparative">Area - comparative:</a></b><br> slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#land_boundaries">Land boundaries:</a></b><br> 0 km <br><i> <em>note:</em> </i>see entry on Disputes - international <br>[see also: <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/land_boundaries_km_2013_0.html" target="_blank"><u>Land boundaries country ranks</u></a> ] <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#coastline">Coastline:</a></b><br> 17,968 km <br>[see also: <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/coastline_2013_0.html" target="_blank"><u>Coastline country ranks</u></a> ] <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#maritime_claims">Maritime claims:</a></b><br> Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#climate">Climate:</a></b><br> severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#terrain">Terrain:</a></b><br> about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#elevation_extremes">Elevation extremes:</a></b><br> <i>lowest point: </i>Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m <br>[see also: <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/elevation_extremes_lowest_point_2013_0.html" target="_blank"><u>Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks</u></a> ] <br><i> highest point: </i>Vinson Massif 4,897 m <br><i> <em>note:</em> </i>the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#natural_resources">Natural resources:</a></b><br> iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small noncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#land_use">Land use:</a></b><br> <i>arable land: </i>0% <br>[see also: <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/geography/land_use_arable_land_2013_0.html" target="_blank"><u>Land use - arable land country ranks</u></a> ] <br><i> permanent crops: </i>0% <br><i> other: </i>100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005) <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#natural_hazards">Natural hazards:</a></b><br> katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#environment_current_issues">Environment - current issues:</a></b><br> in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming <p><b><a href = "http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html#geography_note">Geography - note:</a></b><br> the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable </font> <p> <p> <BR> <P> <font size = "-2"><B> NOTE: The information regarding Antarctica on this page is re-published from the 2013 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Antarctica Geography 2013 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Antarctica Geography 2013 should be addressed to the CIA. </B></font> </P> <br> <hr> <a href="#" onClick="AddToFaves_hp()"><img src="http://www.theodora.com/images/bookmark_banner.gif" align="left" width="176" height="52" border="0"></a><font color=brown> - Please bookmark this page (add it to your favorites). <br> - If you wish to <b>link</b> to this page, you can do so by referring to the URL address below this line.</font> <hr> http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/antarctica/antarctica_geography.html <br><br> This page was last modified 22-Mar-13 <br> Copyright &copy 1995-2013 <a href="http://www.theodora.com/ita.html">ITA</a> all rights reserved. <br> </td> <td width=200 valign="top" align="left" background="http://www.theodora.com/wfb2008/images/light_blue.gif"> <!-- SiteSearch Google --> <br> <form action="http://www.google.com/cse" id="cse-search-box"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-7437757543052749:i8v5yg-obf2" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="text" name="q" size="26" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> </div> </form> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/cse/brand?form=cse-search-box&lang=en"></script> <!-- End SiteSearch Google --> <font size="2" face="arial"> <b> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.theodora.com/wfb">|Main INDEX|</a> <li><a href="../index.html">2013 INDEX</a> <li><a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/index.html">Country Ranks</a> <li><a href="http://www.theodora.com/wfb/wfb2000/definitions.html">DEFINITIONS</a> <br><br> <a href="index.html">Antarctica Index 2013</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/antarctica/index.html">Antarctica Main Index</a> <li><a href="antarctica_introduction.html">Introduction</a> <li><a href="antarctica_geography.html">Geography</a> <li>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.theodora.com/maps">Maps</a><br> </b> &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.photius.com/religion">Religion</a> <b><li><a href="antarctica_government.html">Government</a><br></B> &nbsp;&nbsp; Gov. 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