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|+<big><big>'''Antarctica'''</big></big>
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| align="center" width="140px" | [[Image:Antarctica2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Map of Antarctica]]
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| '''[[Continent]]''' || [[Antarctica]]
|-
| '''[[Geographic coordinates]]''' || {{coor dm|62|00|N|15|00|E|type:country}}
|-
| '''[[Area]]'''<br> - Total <br> - Water
| [[1 E13 m²|14,000,000 km²]]<br> 0 km²
|-
| '''Coastline''' || 17,968 km
|-
| '''Land boundaries''' || 0 km
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| '''Highest point''' || [[Vinson Massif]], 4,897 m
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| '''Lowest point''' || [[Bentley Subglacial Trench]], -2,555 m
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| '''Longest river''' ||
|-
| '''Largest inland body of water''' ||
|-
| '''Land Use'''<br> - Arable land<br><br> - Permanent<br> crops<br><br> - Other ||<br>0 %<br><br>0 %<br><br>100 % (2005 est.)
|-
| '''[[Climate]]''': || [[subarctic]] to [[arctic]]
|-
| '''[[Terrain]]''': || [[ice]] and barren [[rock (geology)|rock]]
|-
| '''Natural resources''' || [[iron]] ore, [[chromium]], [[copper]], [[gold]], [[nickel]], [[platinum]], [[coal]], [[hydrocarbon]]s, [[krill]], [[fin fish]], [[crab]]
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| '''Natural hazards''' || high [[wind]]s, [[blizzard]]s, [[cyclonic storm]]s, [[volcanism]]
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| '''Environmental issues''' || depleting [[ozone layer]], rising [[sea level]]
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[[Image:Booth_Island.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Photo of [[Booth Island]] in [[Antarctica]]]]
[[Image:Fryxellsee Opt.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[Blue ice (glacial)|Blue ice]] covering [[Lake Fryxell]], in the Transantarctic, comes from [[glacier|glacial]] meltwater from the [[Canada Glacier]] and other smaller glaciers. The fresh water stays on top of the lake and freezes, sealing in briny water below.]]
The '''geography of Antarctica''' is dominated by its [[polar region|south polar location]] and, thus, by [[ice]]. The [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] [[continent]], located in the [[Earth]]'s [[southern hemisphere]], is centered asymmetrically around the [[South Pole]] and largely south of the [[Antarctic Circle]]. It's surrounded by the southern waters of the [[World Ocean]] – alternatively (depending on source), it is washed by the [[Southern Ocean|Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean]] or the southern [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], and [[Indian Ocean]]s. With an area of more than 14 million km², it is the fifth-largest continent and about 1.3 times larger than [[Europe]].
Some 98% of Antarctica is covered by the [[Antarctic ice sheet]], the world's largest [[ice sheet]] and also its largest reservoir of [[fresh water]]. Averaging at least 1.6 km thick, the ice is so massive that it has [[post-glacial rebound|depressed the continental bedrock]] in some areas more than 2.5 km below sea level; subglacial lakes of liquid [[water]] also occur (e.g., [[Lake Vostok]]). [[Ice shelf|Ice shelves]] and [[ice rise|rises]] populate the ice sheet on the periphery. Only about 2% of the continent is uncovered by ice.
Physically, Antarctica is divided in two by mountains close to the neck between the [[Ross Sea]] and the [[Weddell Sea]]. [[Western Antarctica]] and [[Eastern Antarctica]] correspond roughly to the eastern and western hemispheres relative to the [[Prime Meridian|Greenwich meridian]]. This usage has been regarded as [[Eurocentrism|Eurocentric]] by some, and the alternative terms Lesser Antarctica and Greater Antarctica (respectively) are sometimes preferred.
Western Antarctica is covered by the [[West Antarctic Ice Sheet]]. There has been some concern about this [[ice sheet]], because there is a small chance that it will collapse. If it does, ocean levels would rise by a few metres in a very short period of time.
==Volcanoes==
There are four [[volcano]]es on the mainland of Antarctica that are
considered to be active on the basis of observed fumarolic activity or
"recent" tephra deposits:
[[Mount Melbourne]] (2,730 m) (74°21'S., 164°42'E.), a stratovolcano;
[[Mount Berlin]] (3,500 m) (76°03'S., 135°52'W.), a stratovolcano;
Mount Kauffman (2,365 m) (75°37'S., 132°25'W.), a stratovolcano; and
[[Mount Hampton]] (3,325 m) (76°29'S., 125°48'W.), a volcanic caldera.
Several volcanoes on offshore islands have records of historic activity.
[[Mount Erebus]] (3,795 m), a stratovolcano on
[[Ross Island]] with 10 known eruptions and 1 suspected eruption.
On the opposite side of the continent,
[[Deception Island]]
(62°57'S., 60°38'W.), a volcanic caldera with 10 known
and 4 suspected eruptions, have been the most active.
[[Buckle Island]] in the [[Balleny Islands]] (66°50'S., 163°12'E.),
[[Penguin Island (South Shetland Islands)|Penguin Island]] (62°06'S., 57°54'W.),
Paulet Island (63°35'S., 55°47'W.), and
Lindenberg Island (64°55'S., 59°40'W.) are also
considered to be active.
==See also==
* [[List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands]]
* [[Geology of Antarctica]]
* [[Volcanoes of Antarctica]]
==External links==
* [http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/FlareGenesis/Antarctica/1999/pictures/antarctica_pol_map.jpg Political Claims Map]
* [http://terraweb.wr.usgs.gov/TRS/projects/Antarctica/AVHRR.html USGS TerraWeb: Satellite Image Map of Antarctica]
* [http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs05101.html United States Antarctic Resource Center (USARC)]
* [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/aedc/bedmap/ BEDMAP]
* [http://www.add.scar.org/ Antarctic Digital Database (Topographic data for Antarctica, including web map browser)]
* [http://lima.usgs.gov/ Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA; USGS web pages)]
* [http://lima.nasa.gov/ Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA; NASA web pages)]
[[Category:Geography of Antarctica| ]]
[[nl:Geografie van Antarctica]]
[[ja:南極の地理]]
[[pt:Geografia da Antárctida]]