Amazing Facts About Antarctica

The name Antarctica is the romanized version of the Greek compound word ἀνταρκτική (ántarktiké), feminine of ἀνταρκτικός (ántarktikós), meaning "opposite to the Arctic", "opposite to the north"

The average thickness of Antarctic ice is about 1.6 kilometers.

The highest point on Antarctica is the Vinson Massif at 4,987 meters.

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first human to reach the South Pole. He beat out English explorer Robert Falcon Scott by arriving on Dec. 14, 1911, and planting the Norwegian flag.

The most abundant land animal on Antarctica is not the penguin, but the tiny nematode worm.

The male Emperor penguin is the only warm-blooded animal that remains on the Antarctic continent through the winter. It stays to nest on the single egg laid by its mate (the female spends nine weeks at sea and returns in time for the egg to hatch).

Antarctica is the largest desert in the world.

The coldest place on Earth is a high ridge in Antarctica where temperatures can dip below -93.2°C.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is 14.5°C.

Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.

There are at least seven Christian churches in Antarctica.

Winds in some places of Antarctica can reach 320 km/h.

Antarctica has only one ATM.

Antarctica contains 90% of the world's ice

Comments

10 Bloodiest Battles of World War II

10. Battle of Monte Cassino, 17 January–18 May 1944: 185,000 casualties Waged between the Allies and the joint German and Italian troops in the early part of 1944, the Battle of Monte Cassino was one of the hardest fought battles of the Second World War. The main objective for the Allied forces fighting their way up from Southern Italy was to break through the Germans’ Gustav Line — a series of military fortifications running across Italy — and gain control of Rome. Named after the 1,400-year-old monastery of Monte Cassino that stood at the center of the German defensive line (and which was controversially destroyed by American bombers during the battle), the fighting was made up of four smaller battles that took place in January, February, March and May, respectively. The eventual capture of Rome came at a high price, with at least 125,000 casualties on all sides — and as many as 185,000 by some estimates. 9. Battle of the Bulge,...

Propaganda posters

I WANT YOU! Originally published as the cover for the July 6, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly with the title “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?” this portrait of “Uncle Sam” went on to become–according to its creator, James Montgomery Flagg–”the most famous poster in the world.” Over four million copies were printed between 1917 and 1918, as the United States entered World War I and began sending troops and material into war zones. We Can Do It! We Can Do It! is a WW II era American wartime propoganda poster produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943 for Westinghouse Electric as a tool to boost worker morale. Surprisingly, the poster did not enjoy wide popularity during World War II. It was rediscovered in the early 1980s and widely reproduced in many forms, often called “We Can Do It!” but also mistakenly called “Rosie the Riveter” after the iconic figure of a strong female war production worker. The “We Can Do It!” image was used to promote feminism and o...

13 Olympic Moments that Changed History Paris, 1900: First female athletes Women were never allowed to compete in the Olympics until the Paris Games in 1900, when their participation in lawn tennis and golf events secured a position for female athletes in future Games. The London 2012 Olympics signifies a new gender milestone with the debut of Women's Boxing, and it will also be the first Games in Olympic history with female athletes from every competing country. Berlin, 1936: Owens breaks records African-American athlete Jesse Owens broke records and won several gold medals, shattering Hitler’s aim to use the 1936 Games as an example of the “new Aryan man.” Owens later befriended his German competitor in the long jump, Luz Long, and the pair's lap of honor became a symbol of the triumph of sportsmanship over Nazi ideology. London, 1948: Wheelchair athletes compete English doctor Ludwig Gu...

Facts

Search This Blog