Lists of places in Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth. While Antarctica has never had a permanent human population, it has been explored by various groups, and many locations on and around the continent have been described. This page lists notable places in and immediately surrounding the Antarctic continent, including geographic features, bodies of water, and human settlements.

Lists of places in Antarctica
Coordinates80°S 90°E
AreaRanked 2nd (unofficially)
 • Total14,000,000 km2 (5,400,000 sq mi)
 • Land100%
 • Water0%
Coastline17,968 km (11,165 mi)
BordersNo land boundaries
Highest pointVinson Massif, 4,897 m (16,066 ft)
Lowest pointBentley Subglacial Trench, −2,555 m (−8,382.5 ft)
Longest riverOnyx River, 25 km
Largest lakeLake Vostok, 26,000 sq m (est.)
Climatesubantarctic to antarctic
Terrainice and barren rock
Natural Resourceskrill, fin fish, crab
Natural Hazardshigh winds, blizzards, cyclonic storms, volcanism
Environmental Issuesdepleting ozone layer, rising sea level

Bodies of water
Antarctic melt stream

Antarctica is a desert, receiving very little annual precipitation.[1] However meltwater from the continent's ice features produce a number of rivers and streams. A list of these can be found at List of rivers of Antarctica

Ice

Nearly all of Antarctica's surface is covered by ice to an average depth of 1.9 km (1.2 mi; 6,200 ft).[2] As such, a number of notable ice features have been described on the continent.

Ice shelves
The Riiser-Larsen Ice Shelf.

In many places, continental ice sheets extend from the continent forming massive ice shelves.

A list of Antarctic ice shelves can be found at List of Antarctic ice shelves.

Ice streams
Main article: List of Antarctic ice streams

Islands

A number of islands surround Antarctica. For a list of them, see List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands.

Geographic features

Ridges and rock features

Mountains and hills

There are a number of mountain lists for Antarctica:

To be added to lists are:

Volcanoes
Mount Erebus, the second-highest volcano in Antarctica

Antarctica has a number of active and extinct volcanoes. For a list of them, see List of volcanoes in Antarctica.

Human Settlements

Antarctica has no permanent human population, however there are a variety of man-made places in Antarctica including two civilian bases.

Lighthouses
Main article: List of lighthouses in Antarctica

Research stations
Main article: Research stations in Antarctica
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References
  1. Joyce, C. Alan (18 January 2007). "The World at a Glance: Surprising Facts". The World Almanac. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  2. British Antarctic Survey. "Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica" (PDF). The Cryosphere journal: 390. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
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