12 mysteries about Antarctica that will leave you frozen

If you have to choose the most frozen place on the planet, probably many of us choose to doubt the continent of Antarctica. Only remote places like Everest could compete with him. But what do we really know about this giant plate of earth located in the south pole of our planet?

It is possible that our mental image of the Antarctic is formed by snow, wind, a lot of white, penguins and some other scientist researching around the bases that are installed there. But that's not the end of it. The continent holds many more secrets that, because of its remoteness, most mortals do not know.

1. Eternal nights in winter, days that do not end in summer
   In the southernmost place on the planet, nights are eternal in winter and days do not end in summer. It should be noted that this circumstance was not known until its total discovery in 1911 by the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, since he never had indigenous populations. Although already in the eighteenth century there were timid explorations.

2. More than 1000 inhabitants
   In this cold territory, between 1,000 and 4,000 people currently live, depending on the season. Up to a total of 31 countries operate in more than 60 research centers and international relations are regulated by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty that determines its peaceful use, maintaining the status quo of territorial claims, cooperation for scientific research and conservation of resources, among others.

1. It is drier than the desert
   Although it is surrounded by snow and ice, which is potential fresh water, good hydration is not guaranteed. In fact, there are no trees or shrubs and there are a couple of species of flowering plants that survive in the surroundings of the continent. In addition, the dry valleys of McMurdo in Antarctica is the driest place on Earth, with very little moisture and almost no snow or ice on them, which results in being one of the habitats with less biodiversity in the world.

2. The worst cold in the world
   There has always been a debate about which cold air is more painful: wet or dry. However, in the midst of that debate, one could sneak in one that is undoubtedly the winner: the air in Antarctica. In fact, it is so cold that water vapor can freeze in the air, forming small ice crystals that then fall to the ground. Antarctica has, in turn, the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth with -89 ° C on its surface, recorded on July 21, 1983, at the Vostok station.

3. Has an active volcano
   It may seem impossible, but hot lava also burns in Antarctica, since it has an active volcano called Mount Erebus. In fact, its crater is one of the few permanent lava lakes in the world. There are times when the fumarole of the volcano cools so much because of the temperature, that the frozen water vapor forms enormous hollow towers of ice up to 10 meters high.

1. Grotesque winds
   On average, it is the most windy continent and in some places it can reach a speed of 320 km / h. They are called katabatic winds and they blow with the force of a hurricane.

2. A lot of ice, more than you imagine
   The ice sheet covering Antarctica is the largest single mass of ice on Earth, covering 99% of the continent. If these ice melted completely, the sea level would rise by an average of 5 meters, according to some estimates.

3. Something more than penguins
   Although it seems that they are the dominant of the place, in fact, the most numerous local animals are the tiny nematode worms. However, penguins are the most visible. In fact, the only warm-blooded animal that stays during the harsh winter in Antarctica is the male emperor penguin. He does this to nest the only egg laid by his partner, while the female is going to hunt for 9 weeks at sea and arrives to supply her at birth.

4. Great geographies hidden under the ice
   The Gamburtsev Range rises to 3,000 meters and extends for 1,200 kilometers in the middle of the continent, but is buried completely under up to 4,800 meters of ice. There is also Lake Vostok, which covers an area 18 times larger than our Llanquihue Lake and remains in a liquid state hidden under frozen water, 3.7 kilometers away.

1. Un “Gran Cañón” antártico
   Existe una grieta que le hace competencia al conocido accidente geográfico estadounidense, que fue descubierta en una expedición en 2009-2010. Tiene unos 100 kilómetros de largo y 1,5 de profundidad.

2. El primer oriundo del lugar
   En enero de 1979, nació Emilio Marcos Palma, el primer niño en el continente austral. Fue Argentina quien envió a esta madre embarazada a la Antártida, con el fin de reclamar una parte del continente.

3. Lleno de Meteoritos estrellados
   Pocos meses después del primer alunizaje, en 1969, un equipo de glaciólogos japoneses hizo un descubrimiento igualmente importante: los primeros 9 meteoritos hallados en la Antártida. Desde entonces, la colección ha crecido hasta los 20.000 ejemplares.