Demény István: Dél-Amerika és az Antarktisz-félsziget (2008) / 1060-2008

Antarctica From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Antarctica is the southernmost continent and includes the South Pole. Geographic sources disagree as to whether it is surrounded by the Southern Ocean or the South Pacific Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean. It is divided by the Transantarctic Mountains. On average, it is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent and has the highest average elevation of all the continents J

1' At 14

.425 million km

2, Antarctica is the third-smallest continent after Europe and Australia; 98% of it is covered in ice. Because there is little precipitation, except at the coasts, the interior of the continent is technically the largest desert in the world. There are no permanent human residents and Antarctica has never had an indigenous population. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichens, and many types of algae. The name "Antarctica" comes from the Greek avtapKtiKÓg (antarktikos

), meaning "opposite the Arctic."^ Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. However, the continent remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolated location. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists of many nationalities and with different research interests.^ Contents • 1 History • 2 Geography • 3 Geology • 3.1 Geological history and paleontology > 3.1.1 Paleozoic era (540-250 Mya) • 3.1.2 Mesozoic era (250-65 Mya) • 3.1.3 Gondwana breakup (160-23 Mya) • 3.2 Geology of present-day Antarctica • 4 Climate • 5 Population • 6 Flora and fauna • 6.1 Flora • 6.2 Fauna • 7 Politics • 7.1 Antarctic territories • 8 Economy • 9 Transport • 10 Research • 10.1 Meteorites • 11 See also • 12 References • 13 External links Antarctica (Antarctic Treaty Secretariat emblem) Area 14,000,000 km

2 (5,405,430 mi

2) (280,000 km

2 (108,108 mi

2) ice-free, 13,720,000 km

2 (5,297,321 mi

2) icecovered) Population -1000 (none permanent) Government - Executive Secretary governed by the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Johannes Huber Partial Territorial claims (subject to the Antarctic Treaty System) Argentina ÍÉM Australia 0m Chile 1 France ddi New Zealand »Is Norway SfE® United Kingdom Reserved the right to make claims H Russia SEE United States Internet TLD .aq Calling Code +672 History Belief in the existence of a Terra Australis — a vast continent located in the far