The southernmost point of our planet is the South Pole

The blue arrow of the compass always points to the north, which means that if you go in the opposite direction long enough until the arrow points strictly upwards, you will get to where the most southern point of our planet is - the South Pole.

This is not so, our planet has several southern poles.

Definition

The word "pole" denotes the limiting, boundary, extreme point of some surface or anything, as well as the diametric opposite, in this case this is a pair concept, and in our world there are only two poles, less or more, In the worlds with a different concept of space.

On our planet there are geographic poles - North and South (the southernmost point of our planet), which are located where the axis of rotation of the planet intersects with its surface at two points. Like any extremes, the poles are somewhat flawed: at these points there is only latitude from the geographical coordinates , accordingly, there are no time zones on the poles - choose any.

And there are special poles in the cold and inaccessibility, and even from their name it becomes uncomfortable.

Magnetic poles

The Earth has a magnetic field, generated by the core of the planet, consisting of molten rocks, including metallic ones. Like any electromagnetic radiation, it has lines of force that show the direction of this radiation. It is these lines that cause the deflection of the compass needle, which is always parallel to these lines, strictly in one direction. The points of descent of these lines are called magnetic poles - northern and southern, and they are drifting and do not coincide with geographical ones. They are not also antipodes, that is, the magnetic axis of the Earth, connecting the magnetic poles, does not pass through the center of the globe.

By the way, the southern magnetic pole attracts the south pole of the compass needle, and since opposite charges attract, it is more correct to call it northern.

Geographical position

The point on the earth's surface, which has the coordinate 90⁰ 00 '00' 'southern latitude - the South Pole - the most southern point of our planet. Poles got the harshest climatic zones of the planet. North is located among the ice of the Arctic Ocean, i.e., between the ocean, located between huge parts of the land. The southern one is in Antarctica, that is, on a solid site, on all sides washed by the oceans.

At the poles, the sun rises once a year and, having reached the highest point, sits half a year behind the horizon. In Antarctica, the day begins on September 22, lasts 178 days and ends in March.

Climate

Despite the "hot" name, the South Pole - the extreme southern point of the planet - is one of the most extreme in terms of living conditions. It is located on the continent, covered with a thick layer of ice, and it is quite problematic to sunbathe there - the climate at the South Pole is colder than in the North. So it turns out because it is removed from the coast, and the ocean is a natural heat accumulator. Its location is on a hill, and the rare sun rays reaching the surface are reflected by the whiteest snow. In the area of the pole, at Amundsen-Scott station (USA), the temperature was -82.8 ° C, which is only 7⁰ warmer than the record low recorded at the Russian station Vostok located on the same continent.

Conquest of the South Pole

After the Arctic expedition of American Piri, when the North Pole was discovered in 1909, the main goal of the discoverers was the southernmost point of our planet. The history of the conquest of the South Pole has become one of the last pages of the world history of geographical discoveries, and one of the most dramatic.

The race involved two teams: the Norwegian team led by the legendary polar explorer Ruald Amundsen and the British under the command of Robert Scott. Subsequently, the following description of these expeditions spread in England: a team of the cold, calculating Norwegian, and the heroic impulse of the romantic Englishman, freed from the slightest risk. Amundsen was especially accused of the fact that half the hundred of the laikas, on which his group was moving, became a source of food for the remaining dogs and people as they moved to the pole.

January 17, 1912 the Norwegians reached the pole, ahead of Scott for a month. The southernmost point of the world was 1300 km from the base, Amundsen reached the pole two months after the beginning of the expedition and returned safely, spending 10 days less on the way back. 5 people under the command of Scott with great difficulty reached the goal and there they found that they were ahead of Amundsen. They were found dead by exhaustion only six months later.

Today's state

There is no territorial division in Antarctica, only scientific activities carried out within the framework of an international treaty are allowed. At the South Pole is an American scientific station, named after the discoverers - Amundsen and Scott, near it is equipped with a ritual place for photographing - the most southern point of the planet. It is a special sign on the stand surrounded by the flags of the countries participating in the development of Antarctica.

Every year, this sign, due to the displacement of the ice shell on the southernmost continent of the earth, deviates from zero longitude by a dozen meters, and it has to be rearranged. Fortunately, every time the southernmost point of the earth opens without the effort that was spent by the heroes of science in the early 20th century. Now there is a webcam on the pole, and visiting it is included in the list of tourist routes.