Interesting places in Antarctica. Antarctica

The most isolated and perhaps the harshest continent on the planet is Antarctica. Discovered by a Russian expedition in January 1820, this cold area attracts brave tourists and travelers with its brutal, pristine beauty. The entire territory of Antarctica is divided into Lands, named after their explorers, discoverers or fairly famous personalities (Queen Elizabeth Land, Wilkes Land, Palmer Land, etc.). The main part of the continent is constantly covered with glaciers, and only 40,000 square meters. km are free from ice cover.

The sights of Antarctica are not very diverse, however, this fact does not detract from the attractiveness of this region. Every year it is visited by those who are ready to experience all the surprises and delights of the capricious Antarctic weather. The majority of tourist groups prefer popular tours in the form of flights over the territory of Antarctica, because a truly amazing view opens up from above.

Glaciers of Antarctica.

A popular destination in Antarctica is Paradise Harbour. Watching the huge blocks of centuries-old glaciers and icebergs from the boards of inflatable boats is a spectacular sight.

Islands of Antarctica.

There is a place in Antarctica that is of particular interest to volcanologists, hunters and travelers - Deception Island. He is an extinct volcano and is shaped like a horseshoe.

Bloody waterfall.

An unusual attraction for icy Antarctica is the Bloody Falls. Streams of red water with a high concentration of salts and iron oxide flow down the surface of the glacier, originating in one of the Antarctic lakes.

Whalers' Church.

Another famous place in Antarctica is the Whalers Church, built in the neo-Gothic style back in 1913 next to the whaling station. Despite its full functionality, after restoration in 1998 it is practically not used today, but has been preserved for posterity as a monument.

Mountains of Antarctica.

The Queen Maud group of mountain ranges rises 3 thousand meters above sea level. The system was discovered by the expedition of R. Amundsen, receiving the name in honor of the Norwegian queen.

Drake Passage.

Drake Passage was named after the pirate sailor who sailed in this place in mid-1578. It is the deepest and widest strait in the world.

Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church, located in an ice cave, is located at the Belgrano Arctic research base. This is the “coldest” temple among all religions known on earth.

Penguins in Antarctica.

And, of course, the most important and beautiful attraction of Antarctica is the king penguins, without which it is impossible to imagine this region.

Despite the harshness of the continent of Antarctica, its attractions do not end there. Below you can find other interesting places, which are located in this cold region:

The article talks about places on the mainland that are favored by tourists from all over the world. Describes the living conditions of research station employees.

Sights of Antarctica

Antarctica is the last vast wilderness on the planet that has not yet been fully and thoroughly inhabited by humans.

Due to Antarctica being the most isolated continent on the planet, travel to the polar south must be considered. Visiting these places is possible only in a long and inconvenient way: a flight on a passing ship or an expensive flight. Despite the harsh conditions and insurmountable roads, there is a lot to see in Antarctica. The circumstances of arrival and stay here are dictated by:

• ice;
• weather conditions.

In these places, no one is guided by wait times or calendar schedules.

Rice. 1. Tourists in Antarctica.

The polar stations and research bases are great attractions in their own right.

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Any of them is transformed by the people living there into an exhibition of the scientific achievements of the state to which it belongs.

Antarctic polar explorers have a clear tendency towards clubs - there are at least 300 of them. Clubs are characterized by individual characteristics and unique traditions.

At the Amundsen-Scott base in the South Pole region, in order to become a member of the club you need to visit the sauna at a temperature of +93 ° C, and then run around the marker, which serves as the approximate point of the pole. The temperature outside can sometimes drop to minus 73°C.

Rice. 2. Polar clubs.

Attractions of the mainland Antarctica

Lemaire Strait is the pride of Antarctica. This is a narrow channel between the Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island. A favorite place for visiting tourist ships. At the northern end of the strait there is a colorful pair of rounded, snow-covered peaks - Unas Tits. This favorite place for tourist picnics.

Travel companies present certificates at these peaks that indicate the crossing of the Southern Arctic Circle.

Zavidovsky Island in the South Sandwich Islands is one of the largest penguin colonies in the world. About two million king penguins regularly live here.

Rice. 3. King penguins on the island.

Bouvet Island is the most isolated and most mysterious island on Earth. Glaciers cover about 93% of the 54 square kilometers. km. territory of the island. This area is rarely visited, but it is shrouded in many secrets and mysteries. In September 1979, a powerful explosion was noted in the western part of the piece of land, which was classified as a thermonuclear bomb, but the source was never discovered. Not a single country in the world took responsibility for what happened.

What have we learned?

We found out where on the mainland the largest colony of king penguins in the world is located. We found out which place is recognized as the most mysterious and enigmatic. We got acquainted with the entertainment provided by polar scientists.

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Almost 195 years ago, Antarctica was discovered by an expedition led by Bellingshausen and Lazarev. Despite the harsh climate, this continent attracts adventurers and beautiful scenery. Today we will talk about the most beautiful places in Antarctica.

Paradise Harbor

Probably no one will doubt that the most famous natural attraction of Antarctica are icebergs. The most interesting place, where you can observe ice blocks in all their glory, is Paradise Harbor - a corner that gives birth to icebergs. This tourist-favorite area hosts “Zodiac cruises” that allow you to see the icy mountains at arm's length. No less picturesque is the Alley of Icebergs, where powerful northern giants sail from the Bellingshausen Sea, and where entire armies of emperor penguins are based. Massive ice mountains, consisting of fresh water, are 9/10 hidden under water, revealing only a tiny part of the bizarre natural structures to the human eye. largest iceberg with an area of ​​11 thousand square kilometers, called B15, separated from the ice of the Antarctic shelf in the millennium. Another giant with an area the size of Novosibirsk broke away quite recently - in 2013. According to scientists, the southern ice sheet contains more than 30 million cubic meters of ice, and its melting would lead to a rise in sea levels by as much as 100 meters.

Lemaire Strait

The eleven-kilometer corridor separating Booth Island from the Kyiv Peninsula (yes, it is named after the Ukrainian capital) is surrounded by picturesque icebergs of the most bizarre shapes and incredible shades of blue and on clear days represents Antarctica in miniature. The Lemaire Strait, discovered by the German traveler Dallman back in 1873, was not immediately conquered by brave researchers. Only at the very end of the 19th century was it explored by the Belgian Adrien de Gerlache, put on maps and named after Charles François Alexandre Lemaire, the Belgian explorer of the Congo. One of the most beautiful places on the southernmost continent of the Earth is jokingly nicknamed the Kodak Gap, because as soon as the ships approach the strait, the polar silence is broken by the harmonious crackling sound that accompanies photography. Slowly and sedately the ships sail along the dark water surface, strewn with crystal fragments pure ice. As if skyscrapers created by Mother Nature, the blue sky is cut by two black basalt rocks - the Peaks of Una, in the area of ​​which polar tourists receive memorable certificates of crossing the Antarctic Circle. Albatrosses and cormorants slowly soaring in the sky complete the picture of snowy serenity.

Bloody Falls

A little over a century ago, a geologist from Australia named Griffith Taylor, barely setting foot on the harsh lands of Antarctica, stumbled upon a hitherto unprecedented miracle. The impeccable whiteness of the southernmost snow in the world was trampled by red stains like blood. The scientist suggested that microscopic brown algae were to blame, although, as was later proven, the cause of this peculiar color of the water is iron oxide, which arises as a result of the vital activity of unique microorganisms. The frightening Bloody Falls originates in a remote lake, the level of salt in which is many times higher than the salinity of the waters of the World Ocean. It is still unknown what the size of the reservoir hidden under the Taylor Glacier is. It is assumed that the lake reaches a size of 4 square kilometers and is covered with a 400-meter “lid” of ice. No less surprising is the place where the ominous water cascade is located - the Dry Valleys, spread over an area of ​​8 thousand square kilometers west of McMurdo Sound. Due to the incredible wind force exceeding 320 km/h, there was no snow, rain, or even fog here for several million years, which gave the mysterious desert the right to be considered the driest place on the planet.

Deception Island

The horseshoe-shaped “Santorini of Antarctica,” part of the South Shetland Islands, has been considered the best place for exploring Antarctica for decades. Despite frequent volcanic eruptions from the collapsed caldera called Neptune's Bellows, Deception Island Bay is recognized as one of the safest natural harbors in the world. The volcano still does not sleep - sometimes its eruptions cause a lot of harm to researchers. Deception (the English name of the island) is very popular among tourists due to mineral waters Pendulum Bay - the same one that was built to study the Earth's magnetic fields. At the same time, swimming here turns into a real extreme sport: only the top layer of water, a meter thick, is comfortable for a person, and if you splash around too actively, you can easily get burned by the boiling water gushing from the depths. Deception Island is also known for the oldest ghost town in Antarctica - the fish factory base of the Norwegian-Chilean Whaling Company, abandoned during the Great Depression, as well as equally attractive abandoned scientific outposts that once belonged to Spain and Argentina.

Bouvet Island

The most secluded place on the planet is hidden in the depths of harsh rocks active volcano, wrapped in never-vanishing ice. Anyone who dares to stay on Bouvet will feel complete isolation - the closest land is the uninhabited Queen Maud Land, located 1689 kilometers to the south. The remote ice island was found by the Frenchman Charles Bouvet, ironically searching for a lost tropical paradise, on New Year's Day 1739. The land was not given to the discoverer - due to bad weather, Bouvet could not land, and he did not consider it an island, marking it on his maps as Cape Circumcision. Due to the lack of reliable navigation instruments, a small piece of land in the middle of the ice, whose area is only 58 square meters. km., remained unknown for a long time. In 1822 it was discovered again, this time by the American Morrell, and in the winter of 1825 - again, only by the Englishman Norris. It was only in 1899 that Bouvet Island was precisely identified and established on maps. There are several secrets associated with this deserted place: in 1964, a rescue boat sank near it, while the onboard supplies were found intact in the center of the island, but the crew disappeared without a trace. And in the fall of 1979, a thermonuclear bomb exploded in the Bouvet area, for which none of the countries with nuclear potential took responsibility.

2. The coldest place on Earth is a high ridge in Antarctica, where the temperature was recorded at -93.2 °C.

3. In some areas of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (the ice-free part of Antarctica) there has been no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.

5. In Antarctica there is a waterfall with water as red as blood, which is explained by the presence of iron, which oxidizes upon contact with air.

9. There are no polar bears in Antarctica (they are only in the Arctic), but there are many penguins.

12. Melting ice in Antarctica caused a slight change in gravity.

13. In Antarctica there is a Chilean town with a school, hospital, hotel, post office, Internet, TV and a network for mobile phones.

14. The Antarctic ice sheet has existed for at least 40 million years.

15. There are lakes in Antarctica that never freeze due to the heat emanating from the bowels of the Earth.

16. The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 14.5 °C.

17. Since 1994, the use of sled dogs has been prohibited on the continent.

18. Mount Erebus in Antarctica is the southernmost active volcano on Earth.

19. Once upon a time (more than 40 million years ago) it was as hot in Antarctica as in California.

20. There are seven Christian churches on the continent.

21. Ants, whose colonies are distributed over almost the entire land surface of the planet, are absent from Antarctica (as well as from Iceland, Greenland and several remote islands).

22. The territory of Antarctica is larger than Australia by approximately 5.8 million square kilometers.

23. Most of Antarctica is covered with ice, approximately 1% of the land is free from ice cover.

24. In 1977, Argentina sent a pregnant woman to Antarctica so that the Argentine baby would become the first person born on this harsh continent.