Main Attractions of Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the most amazing places on Earth. Here the night lasts six months a year, the winter - nine. This is the only territory that does not belong to anybody: no government, no administrative and public institutions - in general, nothing that we are used to on the Great Earth. Nothing but scientific research stations. This alone is worth it to visit the sights of Antarctica.

But since traveling to the end of the world will take a long time, and pleasure is not cheap, it can be accessible to a very small number of people. However, this is not a reason to limit your curiosity and deny yourself the opportunity to inspect the main attractions of Antarctica. Photos with titles and descriptions will help you imagine this icy land as clearly as possible.

Location:

Antarctica from the Greek translates as "a place opposite the Arctic". It is located at the South Pole and covers an area almost 2 times larger than Australia, and one and a half times larger than Europe. In its composition, in addition to the continent of Antarctica itself, there are many more adjacent islands: Fr. Peter I, about. Anvers, about. Adelaide, about. Alexander, South Shetland Islands. Territories on the mainland are named after historical personalities and discoverers: the Land of Macrobrosson, Earth Kemp, Land of Princess Elizabeth, Land of Wilhelm and others.

Almost the entire area of Antarctica is ice-bound, and only narrow sections of the coast and islands, the peaks and crests of the Trans-Antarctic mountains are free of ice cover. In these ice, 80% of the fresh water supply of the whole Earth is enclosed.

The territory of science

In 1820, a Russian scientific expedition led by Lazarev and Bellingshausen discovered Antarctica, and since then, for almost two hundred years, scientists around the world have been studying the continent continually. On December 1, 1959, an amicable agreement was adopted, according to which Antarctica is recognized as an exclusively scientific zone and can not belong to any particular state. Scientists from the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Germany, Chile are working on its territory. The most interesting are the search for new energy resources, which this land is rich in, according to the researchers. In its bowels are rich deposits of oil, gas, stone and charcoal, as well as precious metals.

Weather

Antarctica is difficult to call a comfortable place to stay - the air temperature here even in summer does not rise above 0, and in the winter months it can drop to -89 degrees. That is why there is no permanent population here.

The number of researchers on the mainland ranges from 1,000 people in the winter to 4,000 in the summer. But regularly there are tourists who are eager to see the sights of Antarctica. The season for visiting opens in November, and ends in March - these are the months when the mainland comes summer.

The Kingdom of Eternal Ice

What attracts people from all over the world to this desolate, cold, windswept edge? First of all, this is a special atmosphere: the silence, the spectacle of the incredible beauty of the Northern Lights, the majestic and severe icebergs and the unique animal world are unusual for the inhabitants of the densely populated earth. The only place on Earth where a person can directly approach the cosmic energy is Antarctica.

Attractions that are offered here to visit more active tourists are the opportunity to do mountaineering, diving, kayaking (traveling by sea and studying glaciers on kayak boats), skiing, and even camping is possible. There are special photo tours, from which you can bring a huge number of unforgettable photos. Of course, if you want to see the sights of Antarctica, you'll have to pay a large sum for it. A trip for 13-18 days will cost at least $ 10,000.

Most tourists come here either on cruise liners that depart from the coasts of South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia, or by plane from South Africa and Chile.

In the world of penguins and sea lions

The South Shetland Islands are, as a rule, the first thing that Antarctica offers to its guests. The sights of these places are literally breathtaking. They consist of 11 large and many small archipelagos. This is the warmest and wetest part of the continent. The world of animals is very diverse here. Clumsy on the ground and incredibly graceful penguins, seals, heavy sea lions are found at every turn. But the main interest is the island Deception (in translation into Russian means "island of deception"). This extinct volcano, as a result of the eruption of which formed a large closed ring.

Among the volcanic sands you can even swim in hot thermal springs. You can also visit one of the research stations, whose work is devoted to the study of penguins.

Desert among the ice

You will be surprised if you learn that the driest place on earth is hidden among the frozen water. The dry valleys of McMurdo did not know the precipitation for many millions of years. The earth here is freed from the ice shell, it is covered with sand that has frozen to the stone state. The speed of winds that rage here can reach 320 km per hour. The conditions in the three valleys - Victoria, Wright and Taylor - are as close to the conditions on Mars as astronauts use to prepare for the flight. In one of the lakes unknown bacteria were discovered, after which scientists for the first time had the opportunity to affirmatively answer the question: "Is there life on Mars?".

Dry valleys are included in the first positions of the list, which contains the sights of Antarctica. Photo and description of these places you will find in any self-respecting guide to diving, because the lakes located on their territory is a godsend for those who like to study the underwater world. However, getting under the ice layer is not so easy, because its thickness is about 3 meters. Experienced divers have to use explosives before plunging into the incredible world of flora and fauna.

Mysterious sights of Antarctica: Bloody waterfall

On the territory of the Dry Valleys, one of the most intriguing attractions is the Bloody Waterfall. If your imagination has painted an ice-cold picture in the spirit of Edgar Poe, or you thought of an old legend with ancient spirits bathing in the blood of your victims, then, as always, reality is much more prosaic, but no less interesting. Although the sight is actually quite frightening.

If you decide to explore the sights of Antarctica, you should definitely see the Bloodfalls. They were discovered in 1911 by Griffith Taylor, an Australian researcher. He believed that the red color of water attached to the algae located on the bottom. However, further study showed that the whole thing is in the microorganisms that live in the lake. At a depth of 400 meters, devoid of the usual nutrients and sun, they have adapted to get everything they need from sulfites, which are rich in salt water. Sulphite is iron, which when oxidized reacts with oxygen, giving a rusty color to the waters. This is a terrific example of how living organisms are able to adapt to survival in extreme conditions.

Sentinel of the South Pole

What miracles do not open us the sights of Antarctica! Photos with the names of the main ones you will find on many resources devoted to this ice-bound edge. Be sure to check out one of the most mysterious - Erebus volcano. The composition of the lava erupted by it differs significantly from the eruptions of other volcanoes located on the Great Earth. This is not its only difference. Actually, everything is unusual in it. First, Erebus never falls asleep. Many volcanoes dozed for hundreds of years before splashing boiling lava out of their bowels, while Erebus is always active. Secondly, it has two craters - one inside the other. The temperature of the magma in the cooling state, located in the deepest of them, reaches 900 degrees Celsius.

Travel lovers and those who are interested in the wonders of nature will appreciate the sights of Antarctica. The brief description given in this article can only provoke their curiosity and push on a crazy expedition to this harsh and attractive land. The name of the continent is not without reason in tune with the mythical Atlantis - here everything is arranged completely differently than on the rest of our Earth. It is full of mysteries and mysteries, which nature generously scattered over its icy cover and reliably hid under them.