Which continent is the most southerly in the world

If you ask hundreds of people: "Which continent is the most southern on the planet?", Alas, not everyone can correctly answer. In order 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 latest 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 was long considered part of this continent. Later, islands were discovered near Antarctica. Long before its discovery, there were many hypotheses about the existence of a certain Southern land. To search for it, many expeditions were dispatched, which found only large islands around the continent, but the continent itself could not find it for a long time. In the study of New Zealand by James Cook, it was established that the archipelago is not a protrusion of the southern continent.

The southernmost continent in the world was opened by the Russian expedition headed by F. F. Bellingshausen on January 28, 1820. In 1831-33, the English navigator J. Bisko sailed around Antarctica. At the end of the 19th century, navigation to Antarctica was resumed due to the increasing needs of whaling. At the end of the XIX century a lot of expeditions swam to the coast of the ice continent: the Norwegian, the Scottish and the Belgian.

In 1898-99, Borchgrevink spent the first winter on the southern mainland (Cape Ader). During this period he managed to analyze the weather and coastal waters. Then he decided to move deeper into the continent to study its features.

Discoveries of the 20th century

In the 20 th century, the study of the coldest corners of the planet continued. In 1901-04, a trip to the southern mainland (a photo of which can be clearly seen below) was made by R. Scott. His vessel "Discovery" arrived to the shores of the Ross Sea. As a result of the expedition, the Edwardian peninsula and the Ross glacier were opened. 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 reach the South Pole by sled, opening one of the largest glaciers on the road, the Beardmore Glacier. But because of the result of the death of sled dogs and ponies, he had to turn back, not 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, not reaching 18 km to its base camp, the expedition in full force was lost. Their bodies and diaries were found only after 8 months.

A great contribution to the studies of Antarctica was made by Australian geologist D. Mawson, he mapped over 200 geographic objects (the land of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Mac Robertson and others).

In 1928 the most southern continent in the world on an airplane was visited by the American polar explorer and pilot R. Byrd. 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 also discovered large deposits of coal in Antarctica.

Scientific stations

In 40-50 years on the ice continent are beginning to create scientific stations and bases for the study of coastal areas. During this period, approximately 60 stations were established, which belong to 11 countries.

Since the late 50's in the seas that are washing the continent, oceanic work is actively being carried out, geophysical studies are being carried out on continental stationary stations, expeditions are being carried out into the interior of the continent. In 1959, an international agreement was concluded on Antarctica, which contributed to the study of the ice continent. In 1965, the Soviet Mirny Observatory was opened here. At a distance of 1400 km from the shore, 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 С, and the average monthly temperature in August in this region is minus 71 С. Later, the southern mainland of Antarctica was replenished with several other Soviet stations: Lazarev, Novolazarevskaya, Komsomolskaya , "Leningradskaya", "Youth". Now various expeditions are sent to the coldest pole every year.

Characteristics of the continent

The cold continent lies entirely in the southern region, it is called the Antarctic (in Greek, "anti" means "against"), that is, it is located against the northernmost region of the Earth - the Arctic.

What coordinates does the continent have? The southernmost continent is located in 48-60 degrees southwest. Its area, together with ice shelves - 13,975 thousand square meters. M. The size of the territory with a continental shelf is 16 355 thousand square meters. The northernmost tip is Cape Sifre, it is very long and narrow, stretching to the side of South America.

The center of the continent 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 thousand km.

Relief

Let us continue to study the cold continent in more detail. The southernmost continent is divided into two zones: indigenous and ice. The inner regions of Antarctica are occupied by the glacial plateau, which passes from the outskirts of the continent to the flat, and then to the shallow-wavy slope. The relief of coastal zones is much more complicated: here there are parts of an ice shield with cracks and vast plains of ice shelves, above which one can see ice domes. Antarctica is not only the southernmost continent of the earth, but also the highest. The average height of the surface is 2040 m, which is almost three times the average height of other continents.

Differences in the relief are observed in the eastern and western parts of the continent. Eastern Antarctica is a glacial shield that rises steeply from the coast and becomes a plain in the interior of the continent. The central region is a plateau, reaching 4000 m, it is considered the main ice section. In West Antarctica there are three centers of glaciation with a height of 2.5 thousand meters. Along the coast stretches the plains of ice shelves. The highest mountains are: Kerpatrick (4530 m) and Sentinel (5140 m).

Minerals

Do you want to know more about the mainland? The southernmost continent is rich in deposits of iron ore, coal, graphite, rock crystal, gold, uranium, copper, mica, silver. True, it is rather difficult to carry out mining operations because of the powerful ice cover. But in any case, the prospects for the depths of the Antarctic are very large.

Climate

The climate of the cold continent 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.

What is the southernmost continent, we found out. But despite its location in the Southern Hemisphere, it is here that the cold pole of the planet lies. In 1960, a temperature of 88.3 ° C was recorded at Vostok station. The average temperature in winter is from -60 ° C to -70 ° C, and in summer from -30 ° C to -50 ° C. Near the coastal regions, thermometer posts never rise Above 10-12 degrees. In winter, the coast is noted at about -8 C. Cold air masses concentrate in the central regions of Antarctica, creating sink winds that reach very high speeds on the coast, often they even turn into hurricanes. Precipitation falls rarely and only in the form of snow. Humidity of air - no more than 5%.

Animal and plant life

It is proved that many millennia 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. Vegetation of Antarctica is lichens, blue-green algae and mosses. Among the animals, there are winged insects, freshwater fish and terrestrial mammals. Penguins, skuas, petrels nest in the coastal areas, and sea leopards and seals live in the sea .

South America

If you believed that South America is the most southern continent, then you are wrong. It is located both in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere. The continent connects with North America through the Isthmus of Panama, in the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its area is 17 800 000 sq. M. Km. (The fourth largest continent). It takes 13% of the land. The length of South America from north to south is 7,350 km, from east to west - about 4,900 km.

The continent is divided into 6 geographical zones:

1. Mountain system of the Andes (stretches along the entire length of the west coast).
2. Brazilian and Guiana Highlands
3. Basin of the Orinoco River (lowland between the Guiana Plateau and the Venezuelan Andes).
4. Amazonian lowland (extends from the foot of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean).
5. Plains of Paraguay, Bolivia and Pampa-Chaco.
6. The plateau of Patagonia.

The largest and most densely populated cities in South America are Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas.

The Past of the Continent

What southern continent long struggled for their freedom? In the 16th century, South America was colonized by the Spaniards. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British were particularly active only in the northeast. For a long time the lion's share of the continent was the overseas territory of the Spanish Empire. The liberation from the Spanish protectorate occurred in the early 19th century as a result of the bloody war of independence. Ethnically, South America is a mixture of the Indian population, the 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

The southern mainland Australia occupies about 5% of the earth's surface. Like Antarctica, it is completely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is often called the "Green Continent". The area of the mainland is 7,659,861 sq. Km. Km. The length from north to south is 3,700 km, and from east to west - about 4000 km. The length of the coastline is 35 877 km. The coasts of the continent are rather unevenly cut. The most rugged areas are the southern and northern coasts.

Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific Ocean, as well as the seas: Tasmanovo, Coral and Timor. Near the mainland is the island of Tasmania, as well as the island of New Guinea. On the east coast there is a unique Great Barrier Reef (it is a ridge of coral reefs and islands, its length is 2300 km). Between the coasts of Australia and the Barrier Reef there is the so-called Great Lagoon, with a depth of 100 m, it is well protected from ocean waves.

Weather

Now let's look at the climate of the southern continents, and in the frequency of Australia. Almost three quarters of its territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. The northern regions are in the tropical belt, in the southwestern part the climate is Mediterranean, and in the south-east and on the island of Tasmania - temperate.

What do we have in the end? What is the southernmost continent? Now you can say with confidence that this is a cold and inaccessible Antarctica. Australia, too, is entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, but the distance from this continent to the ice continent is several thousand kilometers.