 |
| Antarctica and the arctic circle |
One the South pole lies a large mass of land, as big as the United States of America covered with snow and ice. This continent is called Antarctica is called Antarctica and it covers an area of more than 13.5 million sq. km. The highest land mass in this continent is called Vinson massif and it rises over 16,000 feet above sea level.
More Topics:
The ice cover is more than 6000 feet thick in many places in this continent. It is so cold here that the ocean which surrounds this land mass also freezes in the winter. Even during the summer months the temperatures continue to hover around freezing point. Wild life is found in the Antarctica in the form of Penguins, seels, etc.
Like the Antarctica, the north pole too has a large mass called the Arctic. The arctic is surrounded by Norway, Finland, Sweden, Greenland, Canada and Alaska.
The Arctic cannot be called a continent because it is only a large frozen ocean which is surrounded by land. Unlike the Antarctica, the Arctic is inhabited by people called ‘Eskimos’ and ‘Lapps’. Since not much can grow in the cold climate of this area, these people survive largely off hunting. The Arctica circle has various forms of wildlife which include Reindeer, seals etc.
Since both these areas are located at the poles, these areas have daylight for six months and then night for the remaining six months in a year.
During the months when there is daylight, the rays of the Sun reach these areas in a slant as a result of which they are weak and are not able to melt the ice or snow. The lowest temperature of –89º centigrade was record in the Antarctica in 1983.
Both the Antarctica and the Arctic are rich in minerals like Platinum, Gold, Uranium, Copper, Nickel, etc. and many countries have proposed mining in this area. Since the ecological balance in this area would get disrupted an international treaty has been signed which prevents mining of minerals in this area.
Tags:
Encyclopedia