Antarctica is colder than the Arctic for three reasons.

First, much of the continent is

more than 9,800 ft above sea level, and temperature decreases with elevation in
the troposphere. Second, the Arctic Ocean covers the north polar zone: the ocean's
relative warmth is transferred through the icepack and prevents temperatures in the
Arctic regions from reaching the extremes typical of the land surface of Antarctica.
Third, the Earth is at aphelion in July (i.e., the Earth is farthest from the Sun in the
Antarctic winter), and the Earth is at perihelion in January (i.e., the Earth is closest
to the Sun in the Antarctic summer). The orbital distance contributes to a colder
Antarctic winter (and a warmer Antarctic summer) but the first two effects have
more impact