Antarctica (pronounced /ænˈtɑrtɨkə/ or /ænˈtɑrktɨkə/ (listen)) [Note 1] is Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. Ancient Origins articles related to Antarctica in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. It states that Antarctica is to … After crossing the Antarctic Circle they continued to 71˚10’S. 3. In 1599, Dutchman Dirck Gerritsz described land in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands, and through the 1600s Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English and French navigators penetrated south of Cape Horn.The Englishman Antonio de la Roché reached South … the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period. Explorer history in Antarctica is a story of courage, adventure, and an unwavering desire to go where no one has gone before. For more than 200 years, history books have attributed the discovery of Antarctica in the early 1800s to the global powers at the time. We have explored some of the world’s most challenging waters since 1893 and started sailings to Antarctica … This ice averages at least 1.6 kilometers thick. It is almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle. This was eventually done by sealers, traveling to the southernmost oceans to secure seals and supply the demand for oil. Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent. Pin Expedition ship Discovery in Antarctica. Photograph by Herbert G. Ponting, Nat Geo Image Collection Two hundred years since the discovery of Antarctica, the frozen continent is known as a hotbed of scientific exploration and a place of adventure and icy peril. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is -128.6° F (-89.2° C), set in 1983 at the Soviet Union’s Vostok Station. Antarctica is a unique continent in that it does not have a native population. According to Elena Danaan, a former professional French archeologist who claims to be a contactee with the ‘Galactic Federation of Worlds’, an exodus of a German 4 th Reich controlled “Dark Fleet” is currently underway that is creating a power vacuum that different nations are trying to fill by building bases in Antarctica. 4.1 Early Antarctic Activity 4.1.1 Exploration Mawson’s Will is the dramatic story of what Sir Edmund Hillary calls “the most outstanding solo journey ever recorded in Antarctic history.” The British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04), led by British naval officer and explorer Robert Falcon Scott on board the Discovery, set a new record for reaching the farthest point south when Scott, together with Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest H. Shackleton and English explorer Edward A. Wilson, reached 82°17′ S on the Ross Ice Shelf on December 30, 1902. The Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904, known officially as the British National Antarctic Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since the voyage of James Clark Ross sixty years earlier (1839-1843). 687 Words Essay on Antarctica. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is … It is on the South Pole. 41 Interesting facts about Antarctica. It is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. The South Shetland Islands, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, are central to the question of who was the first to “see Antarctica.” The islands were discovered in February 1819 by sealer William Smith, whose report of his find triggered the island sealing boom. The Discovery Expedition of 1901–04, known officially as the British National Antarctic Expedition, was the first official British exploration of the Antarctic regions since James Clark Ross's voyage sixty years earlier. Antarctica is the Earth's southernmost continent. Fun Facts about Antarctica: Antarctica is the windiest place on earth. In 1901 Britons Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton attempted to reach the South Pole on the Discovery Expedition. The Antarctic Treaty System was first signed in 1959 but, in 1998 a protocol on environmental protection was added. During the International Geographical Year (1957-58), 12 countries conducted extensive expe­ditions on this region and established 50 research stations. Antarctica is by far the coldest and the most inhospitable place on earth. (Page 1 of tag Antarctica) The ones who chased the glory of finding the unknown Southern Continent, or Terra Australis Incognita as the continent was called before its existence was confirmed, were not that lucky. Tom Crean was one of ten children, he was born on the family farm at Annascaul on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. Since sailors spotted it in the early 19th century and its official discovery in 1821, the inhospitable desert of Antarctica has fueled scientific research and collaborative efforts between a multitude of nations. It has a … Fortunately, getting to Antarctica is a much safer endeavour nowadays. It is also, … The Antarctic also … Forgotten Footprints: Lost Stories in the Discovery of Antarctica John Harrison A mix of history, geography, myth, and personal truth, this book explores the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, and the Weddell Sea—the most visited places in Antarctica. The first ever sighting of Antarctica, by Fabian Bellinghausen (Russian). But it was not until the early 1900s that Antarctica would really seize the headlines. Of the total 14 million square kilometers in Antarctica, almost 98% is covered with ice sheets. Antarctica is well known for the diversity that it adds to the world map. It contains 90 percent of all of the ice on Earth in an area just under 1.5 times the size of the United States. The average thickness of the sheet is 2,160 meters, which is 4,776 meters thick at the best. This treaty, which was an unprecedented landmark in diplomacy, preserves the continent for nonmilitary scientific pursuits and placed Antarctica under an international … Antarctic timeline. It is owned by no one and claims on it by certain nations are recognised by none. A team of ice drillers and scientists made the discovery after lowering a small, custom-built robot down a narrow hole they bored through the Ross Ice Shelf, a slab of glacial ice the size of France that hangs off the coastline of Antarctica and floats on the ocean. Tom Crean served both Scott and Shackleton and outlived them both. Numerous scientific discoveries of global significance have been made in Antarctica by scientists supported by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), the national research effort on the southernmost continent. In fact, most of what is known about Antarctica has been discovered in the present century. 4.0 Antarctica Past and Present. Aristotle speculated, "Now since there must be a region bearing the same relation to the southern pole as the place we live in bears to our pole...". Humans have never settled on Antarctica because of its brutal climate, but, since its discovery in the early 1800s, explorers and scientists have traveled across dangerous seas to study the continent ’ s winds, temperatures, rocks, wildlife, and ice; scientists treasure the unequaled chance at undisturbed research. Other explorers desired to be the first to reach the continent and the South Pole. The continent is considered to be rich in mineral re­sources including crude oil. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent. Cook laid the groundwork for the eventual discovery of Antarctica, and the citing of land. 90% of the world’s fresh water is found in Antarctica. 2. Antarctica history is rich in adventure and science, yet human activity in the region extends back in time only about 200 years. Almost 90% of the world’s ice in the form of ice sheets is available in Antarctica. Captain James Cook, the first person to discover Antarctica. Captain Cook and his crew became the first people to cross the Antarctic Circle. Two hundred years since the discovery of Antarctica, the frozen continent is known as a hotbed of scientific exploration and a place of adventure and icy peril. But who really discovered the new continent? The ice sheet in Antarctica can be thousands of meters deep at its thickest, and it hides hundreds of melt water lakes where its … Antarctica is the remotest part of the world, but it is a hub of scientific discovery, international diplomacy and environmental change. The History of Antarctica starts off with the European discoverers. Antarctica timeline | Discovering Antarctica. 1. We know that at the surface, the Antarctic Ice Sheet look like a calm, perpetual ice blanket that has covered Antarctica for millions of years. This frozen continent is the world’s ice-box laboratory and deep freezer. While Argentina pioneered tourism in Antarctica in the 1970s, today every country hosts tourists from around the world hoping to discover something new. The short but intense history of Antarctica has led to an interesting state of current affairs: a tourism industry that’s focused on extreme sports and exotic sightseeing. 1820. Originally a whaling ship, after Antarctica, the ship was a supply vessel until it sank in 1943 off Southern Greenland. Since the discovery of Antarctica… This is not only the driest continent in the world but also the coldest and windiest. US sealer Nathaniel Palmer is thought to have been the first person to actually sight Antarctica, in November of 1820. Bellingshausen's ships were the first to have crossed the Antarctic … Life was hard and so Tom joined the Royal Navy at the age of 15, by the age of 22 in 1899, he had worked his way up to the rank of Petty Officer. Some hoped to find new territory to hunt for seals and whales. The first explorer to discover Antarctica is widely believed to have been Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, whose expedition first spotted land in January 1820. It was officially discovered 200 years ago, on … Nearly 1000 years later, Europeans reached Antarctic waters. There is as much ice on Antarctica as there is water in the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these mysteries have intrigued scientists because there are things down there that, according to academia, should not exist. Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. 1772 - 1775. Scientists have discovered a new island that has emerged in Antarctica, likely due to the effects of climate change, and named it Sif Island after a powerful Norse goddess and wife of Thor. The lowest recorded temperature in history was … Antarctica was discovered last of the seven continents. First was James Cook, an Englishman from Yorkshire who, between 1772 and 1775, circumnavigated the continent of Antarctica without finding it. Early explorers endeavored to prove that it was there. A Short History of Antarctica. About 99% of Antarctica is covered by ice. Discovery of an advanced civilization in Antarctica that was flash frozen has shocked political and scientific figures that have witnessed it, according to secret space program whistleblower Corey Goode in a December 11 update. There are no countries in Antarctica, although seven nations claim different parts of it: New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, Chile, and Argentina. The first sighting of Antarctica is now widely acknowledged to have taken place on the 28th (maybe the 27th) of January 1820 during the voyage of two Russian ships, the Vostok and Mirnyi under the command of Captain Fabien (Thaddeus) Gottleib von Bellingshausen during a two year exploratory expedition around the world to discover new lands for the Russian Empire. The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers the Antarctic Program and coordinates almost all U.S. science on the continent. Antarctica was home to a temperate, swampy forest about 90 million years ago. The research, published last week in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, found they reached Antarctica long before the first Westerners in the … Written by Dr Michael Salla on December 13, 2016. Discovery of Flash Frozen Antarctica Civilization. Antarctica ‘once isolated by time, distance and shrouds in mystery no longer remains the unknown continent.’ Since its discovery in 1820 explorers from many nations have struggled against turbulent seas, floating ice, raging storms and sub zero temperature to chart its frozen waters. Geologists believe that some 200 million years ago Antarctica was a part of the supercontinent of Gondwanaland. With the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957–58, the present scale of scientific investigation of Antarctica began, and on December 1, 1959, the twelve countries that were active in Antarctica during the IGY signed the Antarctic Treaty. It is located in the Antarctic area of the Southern Hemisphere, almost completely south of the Antarctic Circle and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. The mysteries surrounding Antarctica have captured the imagination of the world. Posted in Exoarcheology. Recently, satellites with advanced sensor systems measured even colder temperatures from space, detecting surface temperatures as low as … Around Antarctica is the Southern Ocean. Antarctica is the globe's southernmost continent and it is made up of the geographic South Pole. Remains of 90 million-year-old rainforest discovered under Antarctic ice : … Is owned by no one and claims on it by certain nations recognised... 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