oil or other fuel used in diesel engines, emitting a low, constant temperature. Even in the late 17th century, after explorers had found that South America and Australia were not part of the fabled "Antarctica", geographers believed that the continent was much larger than its actual size. [15], In the nineteenth century, the colonial authorities in Sydney removed the Dutch name from New Holland.

It is important to understand the various types of Antarctic ice to understand possible effects on sea levels and the implications of global cooling. This effect is offset by snow falling back onto the continent. [102] Some of these fungi are also apparently endemic to Antarctica. The flightless midge Belgica antarctica, up to 6 mm (1⁄4 in) in size, is the largest purely terrestrial animal in Antarctica. At 0.00008 people per square kilometre, it is by far the least densely populated continent. Russian leaders acknowledged Arktika was an expedition to prepare evidence supporting the North Pole as part of the Lomonosov Ridge—an extension of the continental shelf off Russia. The coastline measures 17,968 km (11,165 mi)[1] and is mostly characterised by ice formations, as the following table shows: Antarctica is divided in two by the Transantarctic Mountains close to the neck between the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. [149], In January 2013 an 18 kg (40 lb) meteorite was discovered frozen in ice on the Nansen ice field by a Search for Antarctic Meteorites, Belgian Approach (SAMBA) mission.[150]. [156], A single 2015 study by H. Jay Zwally et al. Due to Arctic shrinkage, within 50 years the North Pole may be ice-free in the summer months.Cargo ships traveling between Asia, North America, and Europe save money by navigating the so-called Northern Sea Route, a trade route which often includes the North Pole. He concluded that Peary had not reached the Pole. [159], East Antarctica is a cold region with a ground base above sea level and occupies most of the continent. Upon ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country has 10 years to make claims to an extended continental shelf beyond its 200-mile exclusive economic zone. What Time Zones Are Used At the North Pole And South Pole? In 1948, for example, bathymetry studies revealed the massive Lomonosov Ridge. Africa separated from Antarctica in the Jurassic, around 160 Ma, followed by the Indian subcontinent in the early Cretaceous (about 125 Ma). The claims of Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Norway are all recognised by each other.