Antarctica

Antarctica is the most southern continent in the world. It’s like nowhere else on earth. It’s much larger than Europe and nearly twice the size of Australia. It’s an icy plateau with the South Pole at its centre. Antarctica is the coldest and windiest place in the world, even colder and windier than the North Pole. In the summer sun shines for 24 hours a day, but in the winter, it’s completely dark for about three months. Very few plants grow there, but there is some wildlife, including whales, seals and penguins.

When Captain James Cook sailed around the continent in the 1770s, he found no one living there. Today, a few scientists work in Antarctica, but they only spend fairly short periods there. Many of the scientists in Antarctica are studying the ozone layer. The ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner worldwide. The biggest “hole” is over Antarctica, where the weather is getting warmer. The scientists think that this cold and lonely place can teach us a lot about the earth and how to keep it safe.