The map, location and extent of the Antarctic region. Human Geography. physical geography

Antarctica is divided into two parts: East Antarctica and West Antarctica. East Antarctica extends from longitude 30° west to longitude 170° east, including Coates Land, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Wilkes Land, George V Coast, Victoria Land, the Antarctic Plateau and the Pole. Area is 10.18 million square kilometers. West Antarctica is located between 50° and 160° west longitude, including the Antarctic Peninsula, Alexander Island, Ellsworth Land and Byrd Land (Mary Byrd Land), etc., with an area of ??2.29 million square kilometers. Antarctica has only a few scientific expeditions and whaling teams from other continents. Antarctica is the only polar region in the known world with land.

Antarctica contains more than 220 kinds of minerals. Mainly include coal, oil, natural gas, platinum, uranium, iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt, chromium, lead, tin, zinc, gold, aluminum, antimony, graphite, silver, diamond, etc. Mainly distributed in East Antarctica, the Antarctic Peninsula and coastal island areas. For example, there are large areas of coal fields in Victoria Land, gold, silver and graphite mines in the south. Oil and natural gas are abundant throughout the western continental shelf. A huge iron ore belt was discovered in Prince Charles Mountain. Tin, lead, antimony and molybdenum are found on the coast of George V. , zinc, copper, etc. There are manganese and copper mines in the central part of the Antarctic Peninsula, nickel, cobalt, chromium and other mines on the coastal Asplan Island, and sulfur is stored on Sandwich Island and the Erebus volcano. Based on the fact that there are large coal fields in Antarctica, it can be inferred that it was once located in a warm latitude zone, where dense forests were formed through geological processes and the coal fields were formed. Later, after long-distance drift, it reached its current location.

The hinterland of Antarctica is almost a barren land. The only living things there are some simple plants and one or two insects. However, the ocean is full of life. There are seaweeds, corals, starfish and sponges. There are also many tiny creatures called krill in the sea. Krill are the numerous fish, seabirds, seals, penguins and whales in Antarctica. Food sources are provided.

Antarctic Plant Lichen

Antarctic Plant Lichen

Antarctica has a cold climate and it is difficult for plants to grow. Occasionally, some mosses, lichens and other plants can be seen. There are birds and sea animals near the coast and islands. Most of the birds are penguins. In summer, penguins often gather along the coast, forming a representative Antarctic scene. Marine animals mainly include seals, sea lions and dolphins. The ocean around the continent is filled with pods of whales and is an important whaling area in the world. Due to excessive hunting, the number of whales has been greatly reduced, and seals and other marine animals have almost disappeared. There are also a lot of nutritious krill in the ocean near Antarctica. The oceans around Antarctica are also rich in krill, and it is estimated that the annual catch can reach 1.05 billion tons, which can meet human demand for aquatic products.

Antarctica is a huge natural "cold storage" and an important storage place of fresh water in the world, containing about 70% of the earth's fresh water resources.

Based on the data obtained from geophysical surveys in Antarctica over the past 30 years and the results of the splicing of related plates based on plate tectonics theory, Antarctica is rich in coal, iron, oil and natural gas. The coal resources mainly exist in the Hengduan Mountains of Antarctica. They are Permian coals with shallow storage phase and uneven coal masses. Iron ore is stored in the area between Inderby Land and Wilkos Land in East Antarctica, but the largest iron ore is in the Prince Charles Mountains, which stretches for tens of kilometers. In addition, Antarctica also has gold, silver, platinum, and chromium. , tin, lead and other metal deposits.

Antarctica was originally the core part of the ancient Gondwana continent. About 185 million years ago, the ancient Gondwana continent split into

Antarctic Continent

Antarctic Continent

The African and South American Plate, the Indian Plate, and the Australian Plate merged Break away from it one after another. About 135 million years ago, the African and South American plates split into two, forming the African and South American plates. About 55 million years ago, the Australian plate finally broke away from the ancient Gondwana continent and floated northward, leaving only Antarctica. East Antarctica and West Antarctica are geologically distinct. East Antarctica is an ancient shield, about 3 billion years ago. West Antarctica is composed of several plates and is much younger than East Antarctica in terms of geological age. The coastline of the Antarctic continent is about 24,700 kilometers long.

Marginal seas and islands The marginal seas of Antarctica include the Bellingshausen Sea, Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea belonging to the South Pacific, and the Weddell Sea belonging to the South Atlantic. The main islands are Auckland Islands, Bouvet Island, South Shetland Islands, South Orkney Islands, Adelaide Island, Alexander Island, Peter I Island, South Georgia Island, Prince Edward Islands, and the South Sandwich Islands.

Topography: The Transantarctic Mountains divide the Antarctic continent into two parts. East Antarctica, which is larger in area, is an ancient shield and peneplain, with the Transantarctic Mountains stretching on the edge of the shield; West Antarctica is smaller in area and is a fold belt composed of mountains, plateaus and basins. There is a subsidence zone between the east and west parts, extending from the Ross Sea to the Weddell Sea. With an average altitude of 2,350 meters, Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth. The highest point, Mount Vincent in Mary Byrd Land, is 5,140 meters above sea level. Almost all of the continent is covered by ice and snow. The average thickness of the ice is 1,880 meters, and the thickest is more than 4,000 meters. There are many tall ice barriers and icebergs in the ocean around the continent.

Only 2% of the continent's land is not covered by permanent ice and snow. It is called the "oasis" of the Antarctic ice sheet and is the main habitat of animals and plants. The "oasis" has peaks, cliffs, lakes and volcanoes. There are two active volcanoes on the Antarctic continent, namely the Deception Island volcano on Deception Island and the Erebus volcano on Ross Island. The Deception Island volcano erupted in February 1969, instantly reducing the scientific research station there to ashes. Even now, people still have lingering fears about it.

Terrain: The highest continent on Earth is Antarctica. The average altitude of several other continents on the earth is: Asia 950 meters, North America 700 meters, South America 600 meters, Africa 560 meters, Europe is the lowest, only 340 meters, and Oceania has an average height of 350 meters. However, Antarctica, on its natural surface, has an average altitude of 2,350 meters above sea level, which is much higher than Asia, which is the highest among several other continents. Therefore, the Antarctic continent is known as the "Ice and Snow Plateau". However, if the ice sheet covering the Antarctic continent is stripped off, its average height is only about 410 meters, which is much lower than the average height of the land on the entire earth.

The climate in Antarctica is characterized by severe cold, strong winds and dryness. The average annual temperature across the continent is -25°C, the average temperature on the inland plateau is around -52°C, and the extreme minimum temperature once reached -89.2°C, making it the coldest land in the world. The average wind speed across the continent is 17.8 meters/second, the surface wind speed along the coast often reaches 45 meters/second, and the maximum wind speed can reach more than 75 meters/second. It is the strongest and windiest area in the world. The precipitation in most areas is less than 250 mm, and only in the continental fringe areas it can reach about 500 mm. The average annual precipitation across the continent is 55 mm. The annual precipitation in the interior of the continent is only about 30 mm. There is almost no precipitation near the pole, and the air is very dry. It is known as the "white desert".

Season and day and night Antarctica is divided into cold and warm seasons every year. The cold season is from April to October, and the warm season is from November to March of the following year. The cold season near the pole is polar night, when dazzling auroras often appear near the Antarctic Circle; the warm season is the opposite, polar day, and the sun always shines obliquely.

The South Magnetic Pole and the Inaccessible Pole The south magnetic pole is the south magnetic pole of the earth. In 1985, the location of the south magnetic pole was approximately 139° 24′ east longitude and 65° 36′ south latitude. The "Hard to Access Pole" is a highland centered around 82° south latitude and 55°-60° east longitude. Due to its high terrain, it has become a large part of the ice line for the outflow of continental glaciers, making it an area that is difficult to approach or reach.

In addition to severe cold, the Antarctic region is also known as the "white desert" and "wind bank" on the earth. The average annual precipitation in most areas is 55 mm, and the places with the lowest precipitation are less than 5 mm: The annual average wind speed is 17-18 meters/second, and the maximum wind speed can reach 60 meters/second.

Outline map of the Antarctic region