7th February: Antarctica

On this date in 1821, John Davis became the first person known to have set foot on the continent of Antarctica. Here are a few things you might not know about Antarctica.

1. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that is 1.9 kilometers (1.2 mi) thick on average. The continent has about 90% of the world's ice (and thereby about 70% of the world's fresh Water). However, it's also the driest place on Earth. Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 in) along the coast and far less inland. Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or Snow for the last 2 million years. Because of this, the biggest danger to the scientists living there is Fire.
2. The tallest mountain in Antarctica is Mount Vinson rising 4,892 meters (16,050 feet) above sea level. The lowest point in Antarctica is within the Bentley Sub-glacial Trench, which reaches 2,555 meters below sea level. This is also the lowest place on earth not covered by ocean (although it is covered by ice).
3. 53 million years ago, Antarctica had a tropical climate, hotter than California, with palm trees. Now, it's the coldest place on Earth. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89 °C (−129 °F), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C (−81 °F).
4. Antarctica has no indigenous population and wasn't even sighted by humans before 1820. There are no permanent residents, although between 1,000 and 5,000 temporary residents live at scientific research bases scattered across the continent. You cannot work in Antarctica unless you have had your wisdom teeth and appendix removed.
5. Antarctica has no government and it is considered to be politically neutral. In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was drafted, designating the land as "a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science." 48 nations signed the treaty. Before this, seven countries tried to claim bits of it (namely Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the UK) but their claims aren't universally recognised. On 10 February 2015, King Harald V of Norway became the world's first reigning monarch to visit Antarctica, specifically the Norwegian dependency Queen Maud Land, earning him the nickname "King of Antarctica". The treaty also forbids any military activity, mineral mining and nuclear waste disposal.
6. Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone, (although it does have a domain extension - “.aq”) and the only continent without any reptiles. There is, however, one ATM and several Christian churches, with priests that serve on a temporary basis.
7. The biggest Iceberg ever broke off Antarctica's Ross ice shelf in 2000. It was 183 miles long and 23 miles wide, with a surface area of 4,250 square miles above water – and 10 times bigger below. That is as big as Jamaica or the US state of Connecticut.
8. Antarctica is home to the southernmost volcano on the planet, Mount Erebus - on the world's southernmost island reachable from the sea: Ross Island. The southernmost island in the world is Berkner Island, which is embedded in ice shelf. Also the most southernmost bar in the world, at the Vernadsky Research Station.
9. There are about 100 species of mosses and 25 species of liverworts, but thanks to the lack of moisture, freezing temperatures and poor soil, only three species of flowering plants, all of which are found in the Antarctic Peninsula. They are: Deschampsia antarctica (Antarctic hair grass), Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort) and the non-native Poa annua (annual bluegrass).
10. Antarctica is bigger in the winter. Its sea ice expands about 40,000 square miles per day, adding up to an extra 12 million square miles of ice around the land mass (the equivalent of 1.5 United States), it doubling the size of the continent. In summer the ice breaks up and melts.

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