Geography of Antarctica
Encyclopedia
The geography of Antarctica is dominated by its south polar location
and, thus, by ice
. The Antarctic continent
, located in the Earth
's southern hemisphere
, is centered asymmetrically around the South Pole
and largely south of the Antarctic Circle
. It is surrounded by the southern waters of the World Ocean
– alternatively (depending on source), it is washed by the Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean
or the southern Pacific
, Atlantic
, and Indian Ocean
s. With an area of more than 14 million km², it is the fifth-largest continent and is 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 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 shelves
and rises
populate the ice sheet on the periphery. Only about 2% of the continent is not covered by ice.
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 Greenwich meridian
. This usage has been regarded as 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.
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
(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.
is the smaller part of the continent, divided into:
For all ice shelfs see List of Antarctic ice shelves.
is the larger part of the continent, both the South Magnetic Pole
and geographic South Pole
are situated here. Divided into:
For all ice shelfs see List of Antarctic ice shelves.
Polar region
Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...
and, thus, by ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
. The Antarctic continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
, located in the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, is centered asymmetrically around the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
and largely south of the Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
. It is surrounded by the southern waters of the World Ocean
World Ocean
The World Ocean, world ocean, or global ocean, is the interconnected system of the Earth's oceanic waters, and comprises the bulk of the hydrosphere, covering almost 71% of the Earth's surface, with a total volume of 1.332 billion cubic kilometres.The unity and continuity of the World Ocean, with...
– alternatively (depending on source), it is washed by the Southern (or Antarctic) Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
or the southern Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s. With an area of more than 14 million km², it is the fifth-largest continent and is about 1.3 times larger than Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Some 98% of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet
Antarctic ice sheet
The Antarctic ice sheet is one of the two polar ice caps of the Earth. It covers about 98% of the Antarctic continent and is the largest single mass of ice on Earth. It covers an area of almost 14 million square km and contains 30 million cubic km of ice...
, the world's largest ice sheet
Ice sheet
An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² , thus also known as continental glacier...
and also its largest reservoir of fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
. Averaging at least 1.6 km thick, the ice is so massive that it has depressed the continental bedrock
Post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound is the rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, through a process known as isostasy...
in some areas more than 2.5 km below sea level; subglacial lakes of liquid water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
also occur (e.g., Lake Vostok
Lake Vostok
Lake Vostok is the largest of more than 140 subglacial lakes found under the surface of Antarctica. The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, although the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years. The lake is named after the...
). Ice shelves
Ice shelf
An ice shelf is a thick, floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. Ice shelves are only found in Antarctica, Greenland and Canada. The boundary between the floating ice shelf and the grounded ice that feeds it is called...
and rises
Ice rise
An ice rise is a clearly defined elevation of the otherwise totally flat ice shelf, typically dome-shaped and rising 100 to 200 meters above the surrounding ice shelf. An ice rise forms where the ice shelf touches the rocky seabed because of an elevation in the seabed that remains below sea level...
populate the ice sheet on the periphery. Only about 2% of the continent is not covered by ice.
Regions
Physically, Antarctica is divided in two by Transantarctic MountainsTransantarctic Mountains
The three largest mountain ranges on the Antarctic continent are the Transantarctic Mountains , the West Antarctica Ranges, and the East Antarctica Ranges. The Transantarctic Mountains compose a mountain range in Antarctica which extend, with some interruptions, across the continent from Cape Adare...
close to the neck between the Ross Sea
Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
and the Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
. Western Antarctica and Eastern Antarctica correspond roughly to the eastern and western hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
. This usage has been regarded as Eurocentric
Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism is the practice of viewing the world from a European perspective and with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the preeminence of European culture...
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
West Antarctic Ice Sheet
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the segment of the continental ice sheet that covers West Antarctica, the portion of Antarctica on the side of the Transantarctic Mountains which lies in the Western Hemisphere. The WAIS is classified as a marine-based ice sheet, meaning that its bed lies well...
. There has been some concern about this ice sheet
Ice sheet
An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² , thus also known as continental glacier...
, 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 volcanoVolcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
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
Mount Melbourne
Mount Melbourne is a massive stratovolcano that makes up the projection of the coast between Wood Bay and Terra Nova Bay, in Victoria Land of Antarctica....
(2,730 m) (74°21'S., 164°42'E.), a stratovolcano;
Mount Berlin
Mount Berlin
Mount Berlin is the sixth highest volcano in Antarctica, located 16 km west of Mount Moulton in Marie Byrd Land near the eastern coast of the Ross Sea. It is composed of two coalesced shield volcanoes: Marren Peak and Berlin Crater...
(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
Mount Hampton
Mount Hampton is a shield volcano with a circular ice-filled crater occupying much of the summit area. It is the northernmost of the extinct volcanoes which comprise the Executive Committee Range in Marie Byrd Land....
(3,325 m) (76°29'S., 125°48'W.), a volcanic caldera.
Several volcanoes on offshore islands have records of historic activity.
Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost historically active volcano on Earth, the second highest volcano in Antarctica , and the 6th highest ultra mountain on an island. With a summit elevation of , it is located on Ross Island, which is also home to three inactive volcanoes, notably Mount...
(3,795 m), a stratovolcano on
Ross Island
Ross Island
Ross Island is an island formed by four volcanoes in the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica, off the coast of Victoria Land in McMurdo Sound.-Geography:...
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
Buckle Island
Buckle Island is one of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies northwest of Sturge Island and southeast of Young Island, some north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland....
in the Balleny Islands
Balleny Islands
The Balleny Islands are a series of uninhabited islands in the Southern Ocean extending from 66°15' to 67°35'S and 162°30' to 165°00'E. The group extends for about in a northwest-southeast direction. The islands are heavily glaciated and are of volcanic origin. Glaciers project from their slopes...
(66°50'S., 163°12'E.),
Penguin Island
Penguin Island (South Shetland Islands)
Penguin Island is an island, wide by long, which lies close off the south coast of King George Island and marks the eastern side of the entrance to King George Bay in the South Shetland Islands...
(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.
West Antarctica
West AntarcticaWest Antarctica
West Antarctica, or Lesser Antarctica, one of the two major regions of Antarctica, is the part of the continent that lies within the Western Hemisphere including the Antarctic Peninsula.-Location and description:...
is the smaller part of the continent, divided into:
Areas
- Antarctic PeninsulaAntarctic PeninsulaThe Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
with- Graham LandGraham LandGraham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
- Palmer LandPalmer LandPalmer Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies south of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This application of Palmer Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between US-ACAN and UK-APC, in which the name Antarctic Peninsula was approved for the major peninsula of...
- Graham Land
- Ellsworth LandEllsworth LandEllsworth Land is that portion of the Antarctic continent bounded on the west by Marie Byrd Land, on the north by Bellingshausen Sea, on the northeast by the base of Antarctic Peninsula, and on the east by the western margin of Ronne Ice Shelf. It extends between 103°24'W and 79°45'W...
with- English CoastEnglish CoastEnglish Coast is that portion of the coast of Antarctica between the north tip of Rydberg Peninsula and Buttress Nunataks . To the west is Bryan Coast, and northward runs Rymill Coast east of Alexander Island across George VI Sound. This coast was discovered and explored in 1940, on land by Finn...
- Bryan CoastBryan CoastBryan Coast is that portion of the coast of Antarctica along the south shore of the Bellingshausen Sea between Pfrogner Point and the northern tip of the Rydberg Peninsula. To the west is Eights Coast, and to the east is English Coast...
- Eights CoastEights CoastEights Coast is that portion of the coast of West Antarctica between Cape Waite and Pfrogner Point. To the west is Walgreen Coast of Marie Byrd Land, and to the east is Bryan Coast. It is part of Ellsworth Land and stretches between 103°24'W and 89°35'W. This coast is bordered by Thurston Island,...
- English Coast
- Marie Byrd LandMarie Byrd LandMarie Byrd Land is the portion of West Antarctica lying east of the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and south of the Pacific Ocean, extending eastward approximately to a line between the head of the Ross Ice Shelf and Eights Coast. It stretches between 158°W and 103°24'W...
with- Walgreen CoastWalgreen CoastThe Walgreen Coast is a portion of the coast of Antarctica between Cape Herlacher and Cape Waite, or between Bakutis Coast in the west, and Eights Coast. It is the easternmost part of Marie Byrd Land. It stretches from 114°12'W to 103°24'W. Eights Coast to the east is already part of Ellsworth Land...
- Bakutis CoastBakutis CoastThe Bakutis Coast is that part of the coast of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, extending from a point opposite eastern Dean Island, at , to Cape Herlacher, or between Hobbs Coast in the west and Walgreen Coast in the east. It stretches between 127°35'W and 114°12'W. The coast in this area is...
- Hobbs CoastHobbs CoastHobbs Coast is that portion of the coast of Marie Byrd Land extending from Cape Burks to a point on the coast opposite eastern Dean Island, at , or between Ruppert Coast in the west and Bakutis Coast in the east. It stretches from 136°50'W to 127°35'. It was discovered by the US Antarctic Service ...
- Ruppert CoastRuppert CoastRuppert Coast is that portion of the coast of Marie Byrd Land between Brennan Point and Cape Burks, or between Saunders Coast in the west and Hobbs Coast in the east. It stretches from 146°31'W to 136°50'W. It was named by R. Admiral Richard Byrd for Col...
- Saunders CoastSaunders CoastSaunders Coast is that portion of the coast of Marie Byrd Land between Cape Colbeck and Brennan Point, or between Shirase Coast in the west and Ruppert Coast in the east. It stretches from 158°00'W to 146°31'W. The portion west of 150°W is part of Ross Dependency, while the remaining area is...
- Walgreen Coast
- King Edward VII Land with
- Shirase CoastShirase CoastShirase Coast is the north segment of the relatively ill-defined coast along the east side of Ross Ice Shelf and Ross Sea, lying between the north end of Siple Coast and Cape Colbeck. Named by NZ-APC in 1961 after Lieutenant Nobu Shirase , leader of the Japanese expedition, whose ship Kainan Maru...
- Shirase Coast
Ice shelfs
Larger ice shelfs are:- Filchner-Ronne Ice ShelfFilchner-Ronne Ice ShelfThe Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, also known as Ronne-Filchner Ice Shelf, is an Antarctic ice shelf bordering the Weddell Sea.-Description:...
- Larsen Ice ShelfLarsen Ice ShelfThe Larsen Ice Shelf is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to the area just southward of Hearst Island...
- Abbot Ice ShelfAbbot Ice ShelfThe Abbot Ice Shelf is an ice shelf long and wide, bordering Eights Coast from Cape Waite to Phrogner Point in Antarctica. Thurston Island lies along the northern edge of the western half of this ice shelf; other sizable islands lie partly or wholly within this shelf.The ice shelf was sighted by...
- Getz Ice ShelfGetz Ice ShelfGetz Ice Shelf is an Antarctic ice shelf, over 480 km long and from 32 to 96 km wide, bordering the Hobbs and Bakutis Coasts of Marie Byrd Land between McDonald Heights and Martin Peninsula. Several large islands are partially or wholly embedded in the ice shelf.The ice shelf westward of Siple...
- Sulzberger Ice Shelf
- Ross Ice ShelfRoss Ice ShelfThe Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
For all ice shelfs see List of Antarctic ice shelves.
Islands
For a list of all Antarctic islands see List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.East Antarctica
East AntarcticaEast Antarctica
East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority of the Antarctic continent, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains...
is the larger part of the continent, both the South Magnetic Pole
South Magnetic Pole
The Earth's South Magnetic Pole is the wandering point on the Earth's surface where the geomagnetic field lines are directed vertically upwards...
and geographic South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
are situated here. Divided into:
Areas
- Coats LandCoats LandCoats Land is a region in Antarctica which lies westward of Queen Maud Land and forms the eastern shore of the Weddell Sea, extending in a general northeast-southwest direction between 20º00´W and 36º00´W. The northeast part was discovered from the Scotia by William S. Bruce, leader of the Scottish...
- Queen Maud LandQueen Maud LandQueen Maud Land is a c. 2.7 million-square-kilometre region of Antarctica claimed as a dependent territory by Norway. The territory lies between 20° west and 45° east, between the British Antarctic Territory to the west and the Australian Antarctic Territory to the east. The latitudinal...
with- Princess Martha CoastPrincess Martha CoastPrincess Martha Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land lying between 05° E and the terminus of Stancomb-Wills Glacier, at 20° W. The entire coastline is bounded by ice shelves with ice cliffs 20 to 35 m high....
- Princess Astrid CoastPrincess Astrid CoastPrincess Astrid Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land lying between 5° and 20° E. The entire coast is bordered by ice shelves. Discovered by Capt. H. Halvorsen of the Sevilla in March 1931 and named for Princess Astrid of Norway....
- Princess Ragnhild CoastPrincess Ragnhild CoastPrincess Ragnhild Coast is the portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land in Antarctica lying between 20° E and the Riiser-Larsen Peninsula, at 34° E. All but the eastern end of the coast is fringed by ice shelves. It was discovered by Capt. Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen and Capt. Nils Larsen in aerial...
- Prince Harald CoastPrince Harald CoastPrince Harald Coast is a portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land encompassing Lutzow-Holm Bay, lying between Riiser-Larsen Peninsula, at 34° E, and the east entrance point of Lutzow-Holm Bay, marked by the coastal angle at 40° E. It was discovered during a flight on February 4, 1937, by Viggo...
- Prince Olav CoastPrince Olav CoastPrince Olav Coast is that portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land between the east entrance point of Lutzow-Holm Bay, marked by the coastal angle at 40° E, and Shinnan Glacier at 44° 38' E. It was discovered by Capt. Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen in January 1930 on a flight from the Norvegia, and named...
- Princess Martha Coast
- Enderby LandEnderby LandEnderby Land is a projecting land mass of Antarctica, extending from Shinnan Glacier at to William Scoresby Bay at .Enderby Land was discovered in February 1831 by John Biscoe in the whaling brig Tula, and named after the Enderby Brothers of London, owners of the Tula, who encouraged their...
- Kemp LandKemp LandKemp Land is a thin sliver of Antarctica including, and lying inland from, the Kemp Coast. Part of the Australian Antarctic claim it is defined as lying between 56° 25' E and 59° 34' E, and, as with other sectors of the Antarctic, is deemed as being limited by the 60° S parallel. It is bounded in...
- Mac. Robertson LandMac. Robertson LandMac. Robertson Land is the portion of Antarctica lying southward of the coast between William Scoresby Bay and Cape Darnley. Mac. Robertson Land is located at . In the east, Mac. Robertson Land includes the Prince Charles Mountains. Mac...
- Princess Elizabeth LandPrincess Elizabeth LandPrincess Elizabeth Land is the sector of the Australian Antarctic Territory between longitude 73° east and Cape Penck 87°43' east. Princess Elizabeth Land is located between 64°56'S and 90°00'S and between 73°35' E and 87°43'E...
- Wilhelm II Land
- Queen Mary Land
- Wilkes LandWilkes LandWilkes Land is a large district of land in eastern Antarctica, formally claimed by Australia as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, though the validity of this claim has been placed for the period of the operation of the Antarctic Treaty, to which Australia is a signatory...
- Adélie LandAdélie LandAdélie Land is the portion of the Antarctic coast between 136° E and 142° E , with a shore length of 350 km and with its hinterland extending as a sector about 2,600 km toward the South Pole. It is claimed by France as one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, although not...
- George V LandGeorge V LandGeorge V Land is a segment of Antarctica part of the land claimed as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, inland from the George V Coast. As with other segments of Antarctica, it is defined by two lines of longitude, 142°02' E and 153°45' E, and by the 60°S parallel....
- Oates LandOates LandOates Land is a wedge-shaped segment of East Antarctica stretching along and inland from the Oates Coast. Part of the Australian claim to the Antarctic, it extends between 153°45' E and 150° E, forming a wedge between 60° S and the South Pole. It is bounded in the east by the Ross Dependency and in...
- Victoria LandVictoria LandVictoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...
Seas
- D'Urville SeaD'Urville SeaD'Urville Sea is a sea of the Southern Ocean, north of the coast of Adélie Land, East Antarctica. It is named after the French explorer and officer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
- Davis SeaDavis SeaDavis Sea is an area of the sea along the coast of East Antarctica between West Ice Shelf in the west and the Shackleton Ice Shelf in the east, or between 82° and 96°E. East of it is Mawson Sea, and in the west is Cooperation Sea....
- Mawson SeaMawson SeaMawson Sea is an area of the sea along the Queen Mary Land coast of East Antarctica between the Shackleton Ice Shelf in the west and Vincennes Bay in the east. West of it, on the western side of Shackleton Ice Shelf, is the Davis Sea. To the east is Bowman Island and Vincennes Bay.Two important...
- King Haakon VII SeaKing Haakon VII SeaKing Haakon VII Sea is an arm of the Southern Ocean on the coast of East Antarctica.-Geography:From the international point of view, King Haakon VII Sea lies between Weddell Sea and Lazarev Sea, and thus stretches only along Kronprinsesse Märtha Kyst from Cape Norvegia at 12°18'W, the easternmost...
- Weddell SeaWeddell SeaThe Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
- Scotia SeaScotia SeaThe Scotia Sea is partly in the Southern Ocean and mostly in the South Atlantic Ocean.-Location and description:Habitually stormy and cold, the Scotia Sea is the area of water between Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, and...
Ice shelfs
Larger ice shelfs are:- Riiser-Larsen Ice ShelfRiiser-Larsen Ice ShelfRiiser-Larsen Ice Shelf is an ice shelf about 250 miles long on the coast of Queen Maud Land, extending from Cape Norvegia in the north to Lyddan Island and Stancomb-Wills Glacier in the south. Parts of the ice shelf were sighted by William Speirs Bruce in 1904, Ernest Shackleton in 1915, and...
- Ekstrom Ice ShelfEkstrom Ice ShelfEkström Ice Shelf is the ice shelf lying between Sorasen Ridge and Halvfarryggen Ridge, on Princess Martha Coast of Queen Maud Land. It occupies an area of 8,700 km²...
- Amery Ice ShelfAmery Ice ShelfThe Amery Ice Shelf is a broad ice shelf in Antarctica at the head of Prydz Bay between the Lars Christensen Coast and Ingrid Christensen Coast. It is part of Mac. Robertson Land. The name "Cape Amery" was applied to a coastal angle mapped on February 11, 1931 by the British Australian New Zealand...
- West Ice ShelfWest Ice ShelfThe West Ice Shelf is a prominent ice shelf extending about 288 km in an E-W direction along the Leopold and Astrid Coast in East Antarctica between Barrier Bay and Posadowsky Bay. Discovered and named by the First German Antarctica Expedition, 1901-03, under Dr. Erich von Drygalski. The toponym...
- Shackleton Ice ShelfShackleton Ice ShelfShackleton Ice Shelf is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of East Antarctica for about 384 km , projecting seaward about 145 km in the western portion and 64 km in the east. It occupies an area of 33,820 km². It is part of Mawson Sea and separates the Queen Mary Coast to the west from...
- Voyeykov Ice ShelfVoyeykov Ice ShelfVoyeykov Ice Shelf , is an ice shelf fringing the coast between Paulding Bay and Cape Goodenough, Antarctica. Mapped by the Soviet Antarctic Expedition and named after Aleksandr I. Voyeykov , a Russian climatologist....
For all ice shelfs see List of Antarctic ice shelves.
Islands
For a list of all antarctic islands see List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.Research stations
For a list of all antarctic research stations see Research stations of Antarctica.Dependences and territories
- Bouvet IslandBouvet IslandBouvet Island is an uninhabited Antarctic volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, 2,525 km south-southwest of South Africa. It is a dependent territory of Norway and, lying north of 60°S latitude, is not subject to the Antarctic Treaty. The centre of the island is an ice-filled crater of an...
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands, known as the South Sandwich...
- Peter I IslandPeter I IslandPeter I Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway, and along with Queen Maud Land and Bouvet Island comprises one of the three Norwegian dependent territories in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. Peter I Island is ...
See also
- List of antarctic and sub-antarctic islands
- Geology of AntarcticaGeology of Antarctica-Geological history and paleontology:More than 170 million years ago, Antarctica was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. Over time Gondwana broke apart and Antarctica as we know it today was formed around 25 million years ago.-Paleozoic era :...
- Pritchard PeakPritchard PeakPritchard Peak is a peak in Antarctica rising to over 1800 m 3 nautical miles southeast of Saburro Peak in the Doll Mountains, Britannia Range. Named after Colonel Marion Graham Pritchard, Jr., who served as Vice Commander and then Commander of the 109 Airlift Wing during the transition of LC-130...
External links
- Political Claims Map
- USGS TerraWeb: Satellite Image Map of Antarctica
- United States Antarctic Resource Center (USARC)
- BEDMAP
- Antarctic Digital Database (Topographic data for Antarctica, including web map browser)
- Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA; USGS web pages)
- Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA; NASA web pages)
