Here Are The Most Incredible And Shocking Facts About Antarctica

Antarctica never comes to people’s minds when they are thinking about picking a travel destination and the reason behind this is quite simple, the temperature is just way too cold there! However, there are lots of interesting things that you can learn about life if you do decide to travel to Antarctica and today we are going to show you the top 20 most incredible and shocking facts about this place.

20. Tinder Date

Tinder is a popular app, but did you know that an American scientist managed to score a date while in Antarctica with this app? There was only one woman who registered a Tinder account and she was 45 minutes with the helicopter away from the scientist.

19. It Doesn’t Rain

This might come as a shock, but there are some places in Antarctica where it hasn’t rained in more than two million years! Can you believe this?

18. Coldest Temperature

As you would expect, Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth and the coldest temperature that was ever recorded measured in at 28.56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 degrees Celsius). Then next fact will blow you away!

17. A Big Mystery

One of the craziest facts about Antarctica is that no one knew if there is any land underneath the ice before the year 1840 when explorers started chipping away the ice.

16. Mount Vinson

If you do somehow end up in Antarctica and want to get the best view there is, then you should make sure to climb Mount Vinson which is the highest point on the continent measuring at 16,066 feet tall.

15. Ice Desert

How would you classify land covered in ice? Well, the scientists are saying that Antarctica is classified as a desert because of the lack of humidity in the air.

14. Thick Ice

Did you ever wonder about just how thick the ice layers are in Antarctica? Well, then you should be pleased to know that they can reach up to 7,300 feet in the Eastside.

13. Changing Temperature

What’s amazing about Antarctica is that the temperature doesn’t really change. Antarctica is the only place on the planet where the temperature barely changes.

12. The Blood Waterfall

This picture might make it seem like the icebergs are bleeding in Antarctica, but this isn’t the case. There is actually a brine lake that hides beneath the thick layer of ice.

11. Meteorites

If you are fascinated by space, then you might want to visit Antarctica because this is the place where most meteorites fall on. Antarctica is said to have more meteorite rocks than any other place on the planet.

10. Strong Wind

You would imagine that the wind blows quite strong in Antarctica, but just how strong? Well, scientists are reporting that the wind can reach a whopping 200 mph (320km/h).

9. Large Continent

Most people have no idea that Antarctica is a continent! Not just that, but Antarctica is the world’s fifth largest continent. What’s coming next will make your jaw drop!

8. Covered In Ice

We all know that Antarctica is covered in ice, but did you know that 99% of its entire surface is covered in ice? You can be sure that things can get slippery in Antarctica.

7. Shift In Gravity

Antarctica has so much ice that once summer comes and the ice starts melting, the Earth has a small shift in gravity.

6. Clean Water

This fact might not be that surprising since you already know that Antarctica is 99% covered in ice, but Antarctica holds 70% of the world’s clean water.

5. Biggest Iceberg

One of the most unbelievable facts about Antarctica is that it’s most massive iceberg was so giant that it was bigger than Jamaica! Can you imagine that?

4. Research Stations

Antarctica has a total of 70 research stations where scientists who represent 29 countries come to do their work. Who would live on Antarctica and deal with winds that blow at 200 mph?

3. Husky Sleds

The one thing that everyone thinks about when it comes to Antarctica is husky dog sleds. These sleds are shown in every movie that has ice, but this isn’t the taxi of choice for people who live in Antarctica. In fact, husky sleds have been banned in Antarctica for a couple of years now.

2. Spilling Ice

Global warming is hurting everyone, but Antarctica is taking it the worst. Scientists report that more than 500 billion tons of ice were spilled in the ocean when global warming caused an iceberg to break in two.

1. Antarctica Is Shrinking

We previously mentioned that global warming has caused Antarctica to lose 500 billion tons of ice, but things get even worse than this. Global warming is causing Antarctica to shrink by four meters every year!