Day 2 - Antarctica
Antarctica: Earth 's southernmost and least-populated continent . Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean , it contains the geographic South Pole . Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe , and has an area of 5,500,000 square miles. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet , with an average thickness of 1.2 miles. Antarctica is on average the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation . It is mainly a polar desert , with annual precipitation of over 8 inches along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which if melted would raise global sea levels by almost 200 feet. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth , -128.6° F. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 50° F in summer. Native species of animals in
