If you ask hundreds of people: “What is the southernmost continent on the planet?”, unfortunately, not everyone can answer correctly. To dispel all doubts of those who do not know the answer to this question, we will immediately make a reservation that the southernmost continent is Antarctica. It was discovered by the last of the continents of the Earth.
In search of Antarctica
Even ancient geographers and travelers guessed that there should be a large continent in the Southern Hemisphere. During his search, Australia was discovered, which for a long time was considered part of this continent. Later, islands near Antarctica were explored. Long before its discovery, many hypotheses were put forward about the existence of a certain Southern land. To search for it, many expeditions were sent, which discovered only large islands around the continent, but the mainland itself could not be found for a long time. When exploring New Zealand by James Cook, it was found that the archipelago is not a protrusion of the southern mainland.
The southernmost continent in the world was discovered by a Russian expedition led by F. F. Bellingshausen January 28, 1820. In 1831-33, the English navigator J. Biscoe sailed around Antarctica. At the end of the 19th century, voyages to Antarctica were resumed due to the growing needs of whaling. At the end of the 19th century, many expeditions sailed to the coast of the ice continent: Norwegian, Scottish and Belgian.
In 1898-99, Borchgrevink spent the first wintering on the southern mainland (Cape Ader). During this period, he was able to analyze the weather and coastal waters. Then he decided to move deep into the continent to study its features.
Discoveries of the 20th century
In the 20th century, exploration of the coldest corner of the planet continued. In 1901-04, a trip to the southern mainland (the photo of which can be clearly seen below) was made by R. Scott. His ship "Discovery" arrived at the shores of the Ross Sea. As a result of the expedition, the Edward Peninsula and the Ross Glacier were discovered. Scott also managed to collect data on the geology, minerals, flora and fauna of Antarctica.
In 1907-09, the English explorer E. Shackleton wanted to get on a sleigh to the South Pole, discovering on the way one of the largest glaciers - the Beardmore Glacier. But due to the result of the death of sled dogs and ponies, he had to turn back before reaching the pole 178 km.
The first to reach the South Pole was the Norwegian polar explorer R. Amundsen (December 1911). Just a month later, a group led by Scott arrived at the pole. However, on the way back, before reaching 18 km to its basecamps, the expedition in its entirety perished. Their bodies and diaries were not found until 8 months later.
A great contribution to the exploration of Antarctica was made by the Australian geologist D. Mawson, he mapped more than 200 geographical objects (the land of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary, McRobertson and others).
In 1928, the American polar explorer and pilot R. Byrd visited the southernmost continent in the world by plane. From 1928 to 1947, under his leadership, 4 expeditions were carried out, as a result of which work was carried out on seismological, geological and other studies. Scientists have also discovered large deposits of coal in Antarctica.
Scientific stations
In the 1940s and 1950s, scientific stations and bases for the study of coastal areas began to be created on the ice continent. Approximately 60 stations were founded during this period and belong to 11 countries.
Since the end of the 50s, ocean work has been actively carried out in the seas that wash the mainland, geophysical research is being carried out at continental stationary stations, and expeditions are being carried out deep into the continent. In 1959, an international agreement was concluded on Antarctica, which contributed to the study of the ice continent. In 1965, the Mirny Soviet observatory was opened here. At a distance of 1400 km from the coast, another scientific station of the USSR, Vostok, was founded. It was in the area of this station that a record low temperature was recorded - minus 88.3 C, and the average monthly temperature in August in this area is minus 71 C. Later, the southern continent of Antarctica was replenished with several moreSoviet stations: "Lazareva", "Novolazarevskaya", "Komsomolskaya", "Leningradskaya", "Molodezhnaya". Now, various expeditions are sent to the coldest pole every year.
Characteristics of the mainland
The cold continent lies entirely in the southern region, it is called Antarctica (translated from the Greek "anti" means "against"), that is, it is located against the northernmost region of the Earth - the Arctic.
What are the coordinates of the mainland? The southernmost continent is located at 48-60 degrees S. Sh. Its area, together with shelf ice, is 13,975 thousand square meters. m. The size of the territory with a continental shelf is 16,355 thousand square meters. m. The northernmost tip is Cape Sifre, it is very long and narrow, stretching towards South America.
The center of the mainland is conditionally called the "pole of relative inaccessibility", it is located about 660 km from the South Pole. The length of the coastline is 30,000 km.
Relief
Let's continue to study the cold mainland in more detail. The southernmost continent is divided into two zones: indigenous and icy. The interior regions of Antarctica are occupied by a glacial plateau, which passes from the outskirts of the mainland into a gentle, and then into a gently undulating slope. The relief of the coastal zones is much more complicated: here sections of the ice sheet with cracks and vast plains of ice shelves alternate, over which ice domes can be seen. Antarctica is not only the southernmost continent of the earth, but also the highest. The average surface height is 2040 m, which is almost three times the average height of other continents.
Differences in relief are observed in the Eastern and Western parts of the continent. East Antarctica is an ice sheet that rises steeply from the coast and becomes a plain in the depths of the mainland. The central region is a plateau, reaching 4000 m, it is considered the main ice divide. In West Antarctica there are three centers of glaciation with a height of 2.5 thousand meters. Plains of ice shelves stretch along the coast. Highest mountains: Kerpatrick (4530 m) and Sentinel (5140 m).
Mineral resources
Want to learn more about the mainland? The southernmost continent is rich in deposits of iron ore, coal, graphite, rock crystal, gold, uranium, copper, mica, and silver. True, mining is quite difficult due to the powerful ice sheet. But in any case, the prospects for the subsoil of Antarctica are very high.
Climate
The climate of the cold mainland is polar and continental. Despite the fact that the polar night in Antarctica lasts for several months, the annual total dose of radiation is almost equal to the indicators of radioactive radiation in the equatorial zone.
Which mainland is the southernmost, we found out. But despite its location in the Southern Hemisphere, it is here that the planet's cold pole is located. In 1960, a temperature of 88.3 C was recorded at the Vostok station. The average temperature in winter is from -60 C to -70 C, and in summer - from -30 C to -50 C. Near coastal areas, the thermometer never rises above 10-12degrees. In winter, about -8 C is observed on the coast. Cold air masses are concentrated in the central regions of Antarctica, creating katabatic winds that reach very high speeds near the coast, often they even turn into hurricanes. Precipitation is rare and occurs only in the form of snow. Air humidity - no more than 5%.
Animals and flora
It has been proven that many thousands of years ago there was no eternal winter on this continent. It was warm here, and the rivers and lakes did not freeze. However, now the flora and fauna in this region is not very diverse. The vegetation of Antarctica is lichens, blue-green algae and mosses. Animals include winged insects, freshwater fish and land mammals. Penguins, skuas, petrels nest in coastal areas, while leopard seals and seals live in the sea.
South America
If you thought that South America is the southernmost continent, then you are wrong. It is located in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. The continent is connected to North America through the Isthmus of Panama, in the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and in the west by the Pacific. Its area is 17,800,000 sq. km. (fourth largest continent). It occupies 13% of the land. The length of South America from north to south is 7350 km, from east to west - about 4900 km.
The continent is divided into 6 geographical areas:
- Andes mountain system (stretches along the entire length of the west coast).
- Brazilian and Guiana Highlands
- PoolOrinoco River (low-lying area between the Guiana Plateau and the Venezuelan Andes).
- Amazon lowland (stretches from the foot of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean).
- Plains of Paraguay, Bolivia and the Pampa Chaco.
- Patagonia Plateau.
The largest and most populous cities in South America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima, Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas.
The past of the continent
Which southern mainland fought for its freedom for a very long time? In the 16th century, South America was colonized by the Spanish. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British were especially active only in the northeast. For a long time, the lion's share of the continent was an overseas territory of the Spanish Empire. The liberation from the Spanish protectorate took place at the beginning of the 19th century as a result of a bloody war of independence. Ethnically, South America is a mix of Indians, Spaniards, other European peoples, and North Americans.
Most of the states that are located on the mainland are characterized by weak economic development. However, some of them are recognized as powerful industrial powers.
Australia
Southern mainland Australia covers approximately 5% of the earth's surface. Like Antarctica, it lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also often referred to as the "Green Continent". The area of the mainland is 7,659,861 square meters. km. The length from north to south is 3,700 km, and from east to west, about 4,000 km. The length of the coastline is 35,877 km. Indented shores of the continentquite uneven. The most indented areas are the southern and northern coasts.
Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Tasman, Coral and Timor seas. Not far from the mainland is the island of Tasmania, as well as the island of New Guinea. Off the east coast is the unique Great Barrier Reef (this is a ridge of coral reefs and islands, its length is 2300 km). Between the coast of Australia and the Barrier Reef there is the so-called Great Lagoon, with a depth of up to 100 m, it is well protected from ocean waves.
Weather conditions
Now let's look at the climate of the southern continents, and in particular Australia. Almost three-quarters of its territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. The northern regions are in the tropical zone, in the southwestern part the climate is Mediterranean, and in the southeast and on the island of Tasmania it is temperate.
What do we end up with? What is the southernmost continent? Now you can say with confidence that this is cold and impregnable Antarctica. Australia is also located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, but the distance from this continent to the icy continent is several thousand kilometers.
