If you ask hundreds of people: “Which continent is the southernmost on the planet?”, Rightly, alas, not everyone can answer. In order to dispel all doubts of those who do not know the answer to this question, we immediately make a reservation that Antarctica is the southernmost continent. It was discovered by the very last of the continents of the Earth.
Finding Antarctica
Even ancient geographers and travelers guessed that a large mainland should be in the Southern Hemisphere. During his search, Australia was discovered, which was long considered a 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. Many expeditions were sent to search for it, which discovered only large islands around the continent, but they could not find the mainland for a long time. A study of New Zealand by James Cook found that the archipelago is not a protrusion of the southern mainland.
The most southern continent in the world was opened by a Russian expedition led 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, voyages to Antarctica were resumed due to the increasing 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 in the southern mainland (Cape Ader). During this period, he was able to conduct an analysis of weather and coastal waters. Then he decided to move deeper into the continent to study its features.
20th Century Discoveries
In the 20th century, research on the coldest corner of the planet continued. In 1901-04, a trip to the southern mainland (whose photo can be clearly seen below) was made by R. Scott. His Discovery ship arrived at the shores of the Ross Sea. As a result of the expedition, the Eduard Peninsula and the Ross Glacier were discovered. Scott also managed to collect data on geology, minerals, flora and fauna of Antarctica.
In 1907-09, an English researcher E. Shackleton wanted to get to the South Pole on a sleigh, opening one of the largest glaciers on the way - Birdmore Glacier. But due to 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, not reaching 18 km to his base camp, the expedition in its entirety perished. Their bodies and diaries were found only after 8 months.
A great contribution to the research of Antarctica was made by the Australian geologist D. Mawson; he mapped more than 200 geographical objects (the land of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary, Mc Robertson and others).
In 1928, the most southern continent in the world was visited by an American polar explorer and pilot R. Byrd by plane. From 1928 to 1947, 4 expeditions were carried out under his leadership, 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 years 40-50, scientific stations and bases for coastal research began to be created on the ice continent. During this period, approximately 60 stations were founded, which belong to 11 countries.
Since the late 1950s, the oceans washed by the continent have been actively engaged in oceanic work, carried out geophysical studies at continental stationary stations, and conducted expeditions deep into the continent. In 1959, an international agreement on Antarctica was concluded, which contributed to the study of the ice continent. In 1965, the Soviet observatory Mirny opened here. At a distance of 1,400 km from the coast, another Vostok scientific station 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 was minus 71 C. Later, the southern mainland of Antarctica was replenished with several more Soviet stations: Lazareva, Novolazarevskaya, Komsomolskaya , "Leningrad", "Youth." Now, various expeditions are sent to the coldest pole every year.
Mainland characteristic
The cold continent lies completely in the southern region, it is called the Antarctic (translated from Greek “anti” means “against”), that is, it is located against the northernmost region of the Earth - the Arctic.
What coordinates does the mainland have? The southernmost continent is located at 48-60 degrees S.Sh. Its area, along with ice shelves - 13 975 thousand square meters. m. The size of the territory with the mainland is 16 355 thousand square meters. m. The northernmost tip - Cape Sifre, it is very long and narrow, stretches from the side of 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 coastline is 30 thousand km long.
Relief
We will continue to study the cold mainland in more detail. The southernmost continent is divided into two zones: primary and ice. The inner regions of Antarctica are occupied by a glacial plateau, which passes from the outskirts of the mainland to a gentle, and then to a gently sloping wavy. The relief of the coastal zones is much more complicated: here, sections of the ice sheet alternate with cracks and vast plains of ice shelves, above which you can see ice domes. 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 Western Antarctica there are three glaciation centers with a height of 2.5 thousand meters. Plains of ice shelves extend along the coast. The highest mountains: Kerpatrick (4530 m) and Sentinel (5140 m).
Minerals
Want to find out 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 conduct mining due to the powerful ice sheet. But in any case, the prospects for the bowels of the Antarctic are very great.
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 radiation dose is almost equal to the radioactive emission in the equatorial zone.
Which continent is the southernmost, we have found out. But despite its location in the Southern Hemisphere, this is where the planet’s cold pole lies. In 1960, at Vostok station, a temperature of 88.3 C was recorded. The average temperature in winter is from -60 C to -70 C, and in summer from -30 C to -50 C. Near the coastal areas, the thermometer never rises above 10-12 degrees. In winter, about -8 ° C is observed on the coast. Cold air masses are concentrated in the central regions of Antarctica, creating stock winds that reach very high speeds off the coast, often even turning into hurricane ones. Precipitation is rare and only in the form of snow. Humidity - not more than 5%.
Animal and plant world
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. The vegetation of Antarctica is lichens, blue-green algae and mosses. Of the animals there are winged insects, freshwater fish and terrestrial mammals. In coastal areas penguins, skuas, petrels nest, and sea leopards and seals live in the sea .
South America
If you believed that South America is the southernmost continent, then you are wrong. It is located in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. 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. Its area is 17.8 million square meters. km (fourth largest continent). It occupies 13% of 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 zones:
- Andes mountain system (stretches along the entire length of the west coast).
- Brazilian and Guiana Plateau
- The Orinoco River Basin (lowland between the Guiana Plateau and the Venezuelan Andes).
- Amazonian lowland (extends from the foot of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean).
- Plains of Paraguay, Bolivia and Pampa Chaco.
- Plateau of Patagonia.
The largest and most populous cities in South America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima, São Paulo, Bogota, 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 Spaniards. The Dutch, Portuguese, and British were especially 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 Native American populations, 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
South mainland Australia occupies approximately 5% of the earth's surface. Like Antarctica, it is located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is often called 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 coastline is 35,877 km. The indented coast of the continent is quite uneven. 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. Not far from the mainland is the island of Tasmania, as well as the island of New Guinea. The unique Great Barrier Reef is located off the east coast (it is a ridge of coral reefs and islands, its length is 2300 km). Between the shores of Australia and the Barrier Reef there is the so-called Big Lagoon, with a depth of up to 100 m, it is well protected from ocean waves.
Weather
Now let's look at the climate of the southern continents, and in frequency Australia. Almost three quarters of its territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. The northern regions are located in the tropical zone, in the south-western part the climate is Mediterranean, and in the south-east and on the island of Tasmania - moderate.
What do we get in the end? Which continent is the southernmost? Now you can safely say that it is cold and impregnable Antarctica. Australia is also completely located in the Southern Hemisphere, but the distance from this continent to the icy continent is several thousand kilometers.