Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi). Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and has the highest …

Jan 5, 2026 · Antarctica, the world’s southernmost continent, is almost wholly covered by an ice sheet and is about 5.5 million square miles (14.2 million square km) in size.

Without any ice, Antarctica would emerge as a giant peninsula and archipelago of mountainous islands, known as Lesser Antarctica, and a single large landmass about the size of Australia, known as …

Sep 25, 2025 · Though Antarctica is really, really chilly, it is considered a desert because it receives very little rain or snowfall. The small amount of snow that does fall does not melt but builds up over …

Explore Antarctica’s land area, zero population status, and importance as a scientific research hub. Includes facts and wildlife details.

Antarctica is a place of extremes. It is the coldest, highest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. This factsheet gives fascinating details of Antarctica’s geographical statistics – its area, length, height, ice …

Apr 17, 2025 · Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on Earth. The Antarctic ice sheet contains about 7.2 million cubic miles (30 million cubic kilometers) in an area just under 1.5 times...

Jan 5, 2026 · Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, i...

Discover incredible facts about Antarctica, learn about past expeditions to the continent, and find out why it is the most inhospitable place on Earth