ANTARTICA
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page” -- St. Augustine

Antartica
South Shetland Islands
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Antarctica is Earth's geographic South Pole and the coldest and windiest spot on the planet

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Antarctica is surrounded by the Southern Ocean and is almost 98% solid ice

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Antarctica was not considered a continent until 1840

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Antarctica's wildlife is legendary. Seals, penguins, whales, albatrosses and others are the main attraction for visitors to Antartica

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More than half of the world's seals live in Antarctica. With no natural land predators, Antarctic seals are not afraid of humans

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No mammals or birds spend all year living on Antarctica. Penguins are the closest to permanent residents, living in colonies with populations larger than some cities

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Emperor penguins are the only animal on Earth that can survive temperatures as low as -50°C

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Seals use sonar to navigate and find food, and use their whiskers as a kind of radar receiver

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When in the water, a seal's nose closes automatically and doesn't reopen until it resurfaces. An adult seal can stay underwater for 30 minutes before it must come up for air. In fact, seals sleep just under the surface of the ocean, resurfacing for air without waking up.
By Vanessa Woods, www.csiro.au

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Whales are divided into two main groups: toothed and baleen. The only toothed whales found in the Antarctic are the Orca and the Sperm whale

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Unlike the other wildlife of Antarctica, whales do not breed in the region


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