Antarctica (南极洲) is on the South Pole (南极). It is almost entirely (全部地) south of the Antarctic Circle (南极圈). Around Antarctica is the Southern Ocean (洋). Antarctica is 14, 000, 000 km2 in size. It is the fifth-largest continent (洲) in area after Asia, North America, and South America.
Antarctica is the coldest continent and has the strongest winds. The temperature in summer us usually just above 0℃. In winter, the temperature often drops below -18℃. The coldest temperature on the Earth was in Antarctica in July 1983. It was about -89℃. That's why 99% of Antarctica is covered by thick ice. In some places, Antarctica's ice is more than 4 kilometers thick.
With all that ice, it might seem surprising that Antarctica is also the driest continent. It gets less than 5 centimetres of rain and snow each year.
Because Antarctica is cold and windy, only low plants like moss (苔藓) grow on the continent. No trees grow there. Emperor penguins (帝企鹅) and leopard seals (海豹) live in the sea around the continent.
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Antarctica |
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Where is Antarctica? |
It is on the South Pole of the Earth. |
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How is it? |
It is 14,000,000 km2 in size. It is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. |
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What's the like in Antarctica? |
It is the coldest, and driest continent. Thick ice covers of the continent. |
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What lives there? |
Only a low plants and animals live there. |
