Antarctica in perspective

Lying off the bottom of many world maps is the vast, ice-covered continent of Antarctica, bearing the largest of the two remaining ice sheets on Earth. Antarctica is a place of superlatives: it is the coldest, driest and windiest of all continents, and has the highest average elevation. It covers nearly 14 million square kilometres, which is equivalent to the area of the USA plus Mexico, or twice that of Australia, or 58 times that of the British Isles. Antarctica has a profound influence on ocean currents, climate and sea level worldwide.

Glacier ice covers all but 2.4 per cent of the continent; rock is exposed only in the Transantarctic Mountains, in coastal ‘oases ’ and in the Antarctic Peninsula. Glacier ice reaches the coast almost everywhere. In fact only five per cent of the coastline is ice-free. The land itself can support very little life, and only sparse lichen, algae and mosses have gained a foothold on the continent. In contrast the surrounding seas are prolific, allowing numerous colonies of penguins, skuas and snow petrels to flourish during the brief summer. As for humans, probably fewer than 100000 have visited the continent, and only a handful of hardy scientists and support staff overwinter in Antarctica.

The importance of Antarctica to the rest of the world stems from a number of factors.