Antarctica is one of the most amazing places toEarth Here night lasts six months a year, winter nine. This is the only territory that no one belongs to: no government, no administrative or public institutions — nothing at all what we are accustomed to in the mainland. Nothing but scientific research stations. This alone is worth it to visit the sights of Antarctica.
But since the journey to the ends of the world will take a lottime, and the pleasure is not cheap, it may be available to a very small number of people. However, this is not a reason to limit your curiosity and deny yourself the opportunity to explore the main sights of Antarctica. Photos with names and descriptions will help you to imagine this icy land as clearly as possible.
Location:
Antarctica is Greek for “placeopposite the Arctic. It is located at the South Pole and covers an area almost 2 times larger than Australia, and one and a half times larger than Europe. In addition to the mainland Antarctica, it also includes many adjacent islands: Fr. Peter I, oh. Anvers, oh. Adelaide, oh. Alexander, South Shetland Islands. The territories on the mainland are named after historical figures and discoverers: Macrobertson Land, Kemp Land, Princess Elizabeth Land, Wilhelm Land and others.
Almost the entire area of Antarctica is icebound, andonly narrow sections of the coast and islands, the tops and crests of the trans-Antarctic mountains are ice-free. These ices contain 80% of the fresh water supply of the whole Earth.
Science territory
In 1820, the Russian scientific expeditionthe leadership of Lazarev and Bellingshausen discovered Antarctica, and since then, for almost two hundred years, scientists all over the world have been conducting a continuous study of the continent. On December 1, 1959, a settlement agreement was adopted, according to which Antarctica is recognized exclusively as a scientific zone and cannot belong to any particular state. Scientists from the USA, Russia, China, Japan, Germany and Chile are working on its territory. The greatest interest is the search for new energy resources with which this land is rich, according to the researchers. In its depths are rich deposits of oil, gas, coal and charcoal, as well as precious metals.
Weather
Antarctica can hardly be called comfortable forliving place - the air temperature here even in summer does not rise above 0, and in the winter months it can drop to -89 degrees. That is why there is no permanent population here.
Number of resident researchers on the mainlandranges from 1,000 people in the winter to 4,000 in the summer. But there are regular tourists eager to see the sights of Antarctica. The season to visit opens in November, and ends in March - the months when summer begins on the mainland.
The kingdom of eternal ice
What attracts people from all over the world to thisdeserted, cold, wind-blown edge? First of all, this is a special atmosphere: the silence, which is unaccustomed to the inhabitants of the densely populated land, is a spectacle of the incredible beauty of the Northern Lights, majestic and harsh icebergs and a unique animal world. The only place on Earth where a person can directly approach cosmic energy is Antarctica.
Attractions that are offered herevisit more active tourists, provide the opportunity to do mountaineering, diving, kayaking (traveling by sea and exploring glaciers on kayaks), skiing, and even camping. There are special photo tours from which you can bring a huge number of unforgettable photographs. Of course, if you want to see the sights of Antarctica, you will have to pay a considerable amount for it. A trip of 13-18 days will cost at least $ 10,000.
Most tourists come here either on cruise liners that depart from the coast of South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia, or by plane from South Africa and Chile.
In the world of penguins and sea lions
South Shetland Islands - this is usuallythe first thing Antarctica offers to its guests. The sights of these places are literally breathtaking. They consist of 11 large and many small archipelagoes. This is the warmest and most humid part of the continent. The animal world is very diverse here. Awkward on the ground and incredibly graceful penguins, fur seals, heavy sea lions are found at every step. But the main interest is Deception Island (in Russian, it means “Deception Island”). This is an extinct volcano, as a result of the eruption of which formed a large closed ring.
Among volcanic sands, you can even swim in hot thermal springs. Those interested can also visit one of the research stations whose work is devoted to the study of penguins.
Desert among the ice
You will be surprised if you find out that the driest placeon earth hidden amongst frozen water. The dry valleys of McMurdo have not known precipitation for many millions of years. The land here is freed from the ice shell, it is covered with sand that has been frozen to a stone state. The speed of the winds that are raging here can reach 320 km per hour. The conditions in the three valleys — Victoria, Wright, and Taylor — are as close as possible to the conditions on Mars that astronauts use to prepare for flight. In one of the lakes, unknown bacteria were discovered, after which scientists first had the opportunity to answer in the affirmative the question: "Is there life on Mars?".
Dry valleys are in the top of the list,which contains the sights of Antarctica. You can find photos and descriptions of these places in any self-respecting diving guide, because the lakes located in their territory are a godsend for those who like to explore the underwater world. However, getting under the ice layer is not so easy, because its thickness is about 3 meters. Experienced divers have to use explosives before diving into the incredible world of flora and fauna.
Mysterious sights of Antarctica: Blood Falls
On the territory of the Dry Valleys is located one ofThe most intriguing sights - Bloody Waterfall. If your imagination drew an already chilling picture in the spirit of Edgar Poe, or you thought of an old legend with ancient perfumes drowning in the blood of its victims, then, as always happens in reality, the reality is much more prosaic but no less interesting. Although the spectacle is actually quite frightening.
If you decide to explore the sightsAntarctica, you should definitely see the Bloody Waterfalls. They were discovered in 1911 by Griffith Taylor, an Australian explorer. He believed that algae, located at the bottom, gave red color to water. However, further study showed that the whole thing in the microorganisms that live in the lake. At a depth of 400 meters, devoid of the usual nutrients and the sun, they adapted to get everything they need from sulfites, which salt water is rich in. Sulfite is an iron that, when interacting with oxygen, is oxidized, giving the water a rusty color. This is a terrific example of how living organisms can adapt to survive in extreme conditions.
South Pole Guardian
Какие только чудеса не открывают нам sights of Antarctica! You will find photos with the names of the main ones on many resources devoted to this ice-bound edge. Be sure to check out one of the most mysterious - the volcano Erebus. The composition of the lava erupted by them is significantly different from the eruptions of other volcanoes located on the mainland. This is not the only difference. Actually, everything is unusual in it. First, Erebus never falls asleep. Many volcanoes doze for hundreds of years before splashing boiling lava from their depths, while Erebus is always active. Secondly, it has two craters - one inside the other. The temperature of the cooled magma located in the deepest of them reaches 900 degrees Celsius.
Travel lovers and those interestedwonders of nature, will appreciate the sights of Antarctica. The brief description given in this article can only whet their curiosity and push on a crazy expedition to this harsh and attractive region. No wonder the name of the continent is in tune with the mythical Atlantis - everything here is completely different from the rest of our Earth. It is full of mysteries and secrets that nature generously scattered on its icy covers and hid safely under them.
