There are so many interesting facts that we don't know yet about our planet, Earth. This is especially true when it comes to places which are remote, hard to reach, and where the climate is harsh and uninviting. That makes Antarctica one of the most mysterious places on Earth - it's an icy, remote, permafrost desert with many secrets that are yet to be unraveled. The continent is so vast that it may seem that scientists are just beginning to explore its large territories and hidden treasures.
One internet user has compiled a list of the most interesting Antarctica facts. From a birth that's forever in the Guinness Book of Records and Tinder matches to barren valleys with highest meteorite count and bloody waterfalls, the South Pole has a lot to offer if you dare to go there. So much so, that the more you know about this continent, the more mysterious it seems.
Scroll down below to read the full list of surprising, fascinating and random facts that are known today about the world's harshest desert.
Source: MrPuckett (Facebook cover image: Captain Roger Fenton)
#21 Earth's Gravitational Pull Is Shifting Because Of Climate Change
Today the effects of climate change are so grave, that gravity itself is changing. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), in only three years, Antarctica has lost so much ice that it caused a shift in the Earth’s gravitational pull. As it was found during one study, the loss of ice from West Antarctica between 2009 and 2012 has actually caused a dip in the gravity field over the region.
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57points
#22 Antarctica Has One ATM
The banking conglomerate Wells Fargo installed an ATM back in 1998 at McMurdo Station, the largest science hub on the continent. While it is near New Zealand territory, the ATM only dispenses US dollars.
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56points
#23 Winds Can Reach The Speed Of 200 Miles Per Hour
Antarctica is one of the windiest places on Earth and is home to unusual katabatic and downslope winds. The strong winds are influenced by cold temperatures and the shape of the continent. The highest recorded wind speed was at a French base back in 1972 – it was blowing at 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). And even though it doesn’t snow there that often, (contrary to what most of us would think), due to strong winds, the snow is picked up from the ground and moved around, which might look like it’s snowing.
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54points
#24 The Highest Temperature Ever Recorded On Antarctica Was 63.5 °F (17.5 °C)
The highest temperature ever recorded on the Antarctic continent, was 63.5 °F (17.5 °C). The discovery was made in 2015 at the Argentine Research Base Esperanza, near the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. An even higher temperature of 67.6 °F (19.8 °C) was recorded on Signy island, located on the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica, back in 1982.
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#25 Antarctica Is The Coldest, Windiest And Driest Continent
Despite all its ice, Antarctica is technically a desert, because of the low precipitation levels. The inner regions receive an average of 2 inches (50 millimeters) precipitation (in the form of snow) each year. To compare, the Sahara desert receives twice as much rain each year. The coasts of Antarctica receive more falling moisture, but unlike in other deserts, it doesn’t soak into the ground.
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49points
#26 There Are No Polar Bears In Antarctica, Only In The Arctic
The Brown bear of North America and Eurasia is the ancestor of the Polar bear. Naturally, Polar bears now live in countries that surround the Arctic Circle: US (Alaska), Norway, Russia, Canada and Greenland. Contrary to the popular belief, Polar bears do not live in Antarctica, but only in the Arctic, as there was no way they could reach the south pole. Bears could not handle the tropical temperatures on the way down there, and there is no mean of getting there by land anyway.
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#27 There Are Seven Christian Churches In Antarctica
Even in one of the harshest climates in the world, people still find time to build places of worship, which are all Christian. Today, there are at least seven Christian churches on the icy continent – Chapel of the Snows, Trinity Chapel, The Ice Cave Catholic Chapel, San Francisco de Asis Chapel, St. Ivan Rilski Chapel, Chilian Chapel of Santa Maria Reina de la Paz and the Catholic Chapel of Santisima Virgen de Lujan.
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30points