BRING A JACKET
Temperatures range from 10°C in summer to -89.6°C or -128.6°F (the lowest air temp ever recorded.) In the winter extreme, metal can stick to skin, kerosene turns to jelly and fillings can fall out of teeth.
MAYBE A WINDBREAKER TOO
The cold of the interior, the domed shape of the continent and intense low pressure systems around the coast combine to create Antarctica's powerful katabatic winds, some of the strongest winds on earth, often exceeding hurricane force (120 km/h) for several days at a time. Maximum gusts of more than 250 km/h have been recorded.
THE REAL ESTATE
Total area: 14 million sq. km (just under 1½ times the US)
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadow, pasture: 0%
Forest, woodland: 0%
Other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%)
WE KNEW IT HAD TO BE SOMEWHERE
90% of the world's ice (29 million cubic km) and 60-70% of its fresh water is in the Antarctic ice cap.
