A Continent of

Extremes
A ntarctica is the coldest, windiest, and highest continent in the world!
It lies at the bottom of the world, surrounding the South Pole. The name
Antarctica means “opposite to the Arctic,” referring to the Arctic Circle on
the other side of the world.
The coldest temperature recorded in Antarctica is also the world’s
lowest, at –128.6° F. A sheet of ice covers the entire continent. At its
thickest point, the ice is almost 3 miles deep—and that’s on top of the
ground. The continent contains most of the world’s ice and much of the
world’s freshwater. Toward the edges of the continent, the ice becomes
glaciers, creeping rivers of ice.
Strange and wonderful Antarctica has only one day in the entire year.
The Sun generally rises on September 21 and sets on March 22. This one
long day is the summer! From March 22 until September 21, the South
Pole is dark and Antarctica has its night, or winter.
People do not live permanently in Antarctica. Only scientists and some
adventurous tourists visit. There are, however, 45 species of birds in

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