If you ask hundreds of people: “Which continent is the southernmost on the planet?”, unfortunately, not everyone can answer correctly. To dispel all doubts of those who do not know the answer to this question, we will immediately make a reservation that the southernmost continent is Antarctica. It was the last of the Earth's continents to be discovered.
Looking for Antarctica
Even ancient geographers and travelers guessed that there should be a large continent in the Southern Hemisphere. During his search, Australia was discovered, which for a long time was considered part of this continent. Later, islands near Antarctica were explored. Long before its discovery, many hypotheses were put forward about the existence of a certain Southern land. To search for it, many expeditions were sent, which discovered only large islands around the continent, but the mainland itself could not be found for a long time. When exploring New Zealand by James Cook, it was found that the archipelago is not a protrusion of the southern mainland.
The world was opened by a Russian expedition led by F. F. Bellingshausen on January 28, 1820. In 1831-33, the English navigator J. Biscoe sailed around Antarctica. At the end of the 19th century, voyages to Antarctica were resumed due to the growing needs of whaling. At the end of the 19th century, many expeditions sailed to the coast of the ice continent: Norwegian, Scottish and Belgian.
In 1898-99, Borchgrevink spent the first wintering on the southern mainland (Cape Ader). During this period, he was able to analyze the weather and coastal waters. Then he decided to move deep into the continent to study its features.
20th century discoveries
In the 20th century, research into the coldest corner of the planet continued. In 1901-04, a trip to the southern mainland (the photo of which can be clearly seen below) was made by R. Scott. His ship "Discovery" arrived at the shores of the Ross Sea. As a result of the expedition, the Edward Peninsula and the Ross Glacier were discovered. Scott also managed to collect data on the geology, minerals, flora and fauna of Antarctica.
In 1907-09, the English explorer E. Shackleton wanted to get on a sleigh to the South Pole, discovering along the way one of the largest glaciers - the Beardmore Glacier. But due to the result of the death of sled dogs and ponies, he had to turn back before reaching the pole 178 km.
The first person to reach the South Pole was the Norwegian polar explorer R. Amundsen (December 1911). Just a month later, a group led by Scott arrived at the pole. However, on the way back, before reaching 18 km to their base camp, the entire expedition perished. Their bodies and diaries were found only 8 months later.
The Australian geologist D. Mawson made a great contribution to the exploration of Antarctica; he mapped more than 200 geographical objects (the land of Princess Elizabeth, Queen Mary, McRobertson and others).
In 1928, the American polar explorer and pilot R. Baird visited the southernmost continent in the world by plane. From 1928 to 1947, under his leadership, 4 expeditions were carried out, as a result of which work was carried out on seismological, geological and other studies. Scientists have also discovered large deposits of coal in Antarctica.
scientific stations
In the 1940s and 1950s, scientific stations and bases for the study of coastal regions began to be created on the ice continent. During this period, approximately 60 stations were founded, which belong to 11 countries.
Since the late 1950s, oceanic work has been actively carried out in the seas that wash the mainland, geophysical studies are being carried out at continental stationary stations, and expeditions are being carried out deep into the continent. In 1959, an international agreement was concluded on Antarctica, which contributed to the study of the ice continent. In 1965, the Mirny Soviet observatory was opened here. At a distance of 1400 km from the coast, another scientific station of the USSR, Vostok, was founded. It was in the area of this station that a record low temperature was recorded - minus 88.3 C, and the average monthly temperature in August in this area is minus 71 C. Later, the southern mainland Antarctica was replenished with several more Soviet stations: Lazareva, Novolazarevskoy, Komsomolskaya , Leningradskaya, Youth. Now, various expeditions go to the coldest pole every year.
Characteristics of the mainland
The cold continent lies entirely in the southern region, it is called Antarctica (translated from the Greek "anti" means "against"), that is, it is located opposite the northernmost region of the Earth - the Arctic.
What are the coordinates of the mainland? The southernmost continent is located at 48-60 degrees S.Sh. Its area, together with shelf ice, is 13,975 thousand square meters. m. The size of the territory with a continental shelf is 16,355 thousand square meters. m. The northernmost tip is Cape Sifre, it is very long and narrow, stretching towards South America.
The center of the mainland is conditionally called the "pole of relative inaccessibility", it is located about 660 km from the South Pole. The length of the coastline is 30 thousand km.
Relief
Let's continue to study the cold mainland in more detail. The southernmost continent is divided into two zones: indigenous and icy. The interior regions of Antarctica are occupied by a glacial plateau, which passes from the outskirts of the mainland into a gentle, and then into a gently undulating slope. The relief of the coastal zones is much more complicated: here sections of the ice sheet with cracks and vast plains of ice shelves alternate, over which ice domes can be seen. Antarctica is not only the southernmost continent of the earth, but also the highest. The average surface height is 2040 m, which is almost three times the average height of other continents.
Differences in relief are observed in the Eastern and Western parts of the continent. East Antarctica is an ice sheet that rises steeply from the coast and becomes a plain in the depths of the mainland. The central region is a plateau, reaching 4000 m, it is considered the main ice divide. In West Antarctica there are three centers of glaciation with a height of 2.5 thousand meters. Plains of ice shelves stretch along the coast. The highest mountains are Kerpatrick (4530 m) and Sentinel (5140 m).
Minerals
Want to learn more about the mainland? The southernmost continent is rich in deposits of iron ore, coal, graphite, gold, uranium, copper, mica, and silver. True, mining is quite difficult due to the powerful ice sheet. But in any case, the prospects for the bowels of the Antarctic are very great.
Climate
The climate of the cold mainland is polar and continental. Despite the fact that the polar night in Antarctica lasts for several months, the annual total dose of radiation is almost equal to the indicators of radioactive radiation in the equatorial zone.
Which mainland is the southernmost, we found out. But despite its location in the Southern Hemisphere, it is here that the planet's cold pole is located. In 1960, a temperature of 88.3 C was recorded at the Vostok station. The average temperature in winter is from -60 C to -70 C, and in summer - from -30 C to -50 C. Near coastal areas, the thermometer never rises above 10-12 degrees. In winter, about -8 C is observed on the coast. Cold air masses are concentrated in the central regions of Antarctica, creating katabatic winds that reach very high speeds near the coast, often they even turn into hurricanes. Precipitation is rare and occurs only in the form of snow. Air humidity - no more than 5%.
Animal and plant world
It has been proven that many millennia ago there was no eternal winter on this continent. It was warm here, and the rivers and lakes did not freeze. However, now the flora and fauna in this region is not very diverse. The vegetation of Antarctica is lichens, blue-green algae and mosses. Animals include winged insects, freshwater fish and land mammals. Penguins, skuas, petrels nest in coastal areas, and seals also live in the sea.
South America
If you thought that South America is the southernmost continent, then you are wrong. It is located both in the South and in the Continent, it connects with the Isthmus of Panama, in the east it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and in the west - by the Pacific. Its area is 17,800,000 sq. km. (fourth largest continent). It occupies 13% of the land. The length of South America from north to south is 7350 km, from east to west - about 4900 km.
The continent is divided into 6 geographical zones:
- The Andes mountain system (stretches along the entire length of the west coast).
- Brazilian and Guiana Plateaus
- Basin (low-lying area between and the Venezuelan Andes).
- Amazonian lowland (stretches from the foot of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean).
- Plains of Paraguay, Bolivia and Pampa Chaco.
- Plateau of Patagonia.
The largest and most populous cities in South America: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima, Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, Caracas.
The past of the continent
Which southern continent fought for its freedom for a very long time? In the 16th century, South America was colonized by the Spanish. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British were especially active only in the northeast. For a long time, the lion's share of the continent was an overseas territory of the Spanish Empire. The liberation from the Spanish protectorate took place at the beginning of the 19th century as a result of a bloody war of independence. Ethnically, South America is a mixture of Indians, Spaniards, other European peoples, and North Americans.
Most of the states that are located on the mainland are characterized by poor economic development. However, some of them are recognized as powerful industrial powers.
Australia
The southern mainland of Australia occupies approximately 5% of the earth's surface. Like Antarctica, it lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also often referred to as the "Green Continent". Mainland area - 7,659,861 sq. km. The length from north to south is 3700 km, and from east to west - about 4000 km. The length of the coastline is 35,877 km. The shores of the continent are indented quite unevenly. The most indented areas are the southern and northern coasts.
Australia is washed by the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as the Tasman, Coral and Timor seas. Not far from the mainland is also the island of New Guinea. Off the east coast is the unique Great Barrier Reef (this is a ridge of coral reefs and islands, its length is 2300 km). Between the coast of Australia and the Barrier Reef there is the so-called Great Lagoon, with a depth of up to 100 m, it is well protected from ocean waves.
Weather
Now let's look at the climate of the southern continents, and in particular Australia. Almost three-quarters of its territory is occupied by the Northern regions located in the tropical zone, in the southwestern part the climate is Mediterranean, and in the southeast and on the island of Tasmania - temperate.
What do we get as a result? What is the southernmost continent? Now you can say with confidence that this is cold and impregnable Antarctica. Australia is also completely located in the Southern Hemisphere, but the distance from this continent to the icy continent is several thousand kilometers.
In what sequence the continents were discovered by Europeans, you will learn from this article.
In what centuries were the continents discovered?
The discovery of the continents was consistent and logical. It is known that there are 6 continents on our planet. The largest of them is Eurasia. The second continent in terms of territorial size is Africa. Its shores are washed by two oceans - the Atlantic and Indian. Two subsequent continents, South and North America, are connected by a small isthmus of Panama. The fifth continent is Antarctica, which is covered with a thick shell of ice. This is the only mainland of all 6 continents where there are no permanent residents. A large number of polar stations have been created on it, scientists regularly visit them and conduct observations. Australia is the last and smallest continent on the planet.
How did the continents get their names?
The continents were called by the Europeans who discovered them. There is no exact date for the discovery of Eurasia and Africa. It is only known that even the ancient Greeks knew and distinguished Eurasia into Asia and Europe. Europe is the part of the territory that was located to the west of Greece, and Asia was on the east side. Africa became known to the world after the Romans conquered the southern part of the Mediterranean coast.
At the end of the 15th century - the beginning of the 16th century, namely in 1492 he made a long sea expedition and discovered America.
In the 17th century Dutch navigators discovered the fifth continent, which they called "Terra Australis Incognita". It stands for the Unknown Southern Land. The fifth continent was Australia.
Last unknown continent
Early in the morning of July 17, 1819, a Russian naval expedition set out from Kronstadt on two sloops - Vostok (Captain Thaddeus Bellingshausen) and Mirny (Captain Mikhail Lazarev), there were 190 people on board the ships. The leaders of the expedition are experienced sailors: Bellingshausen took part in the first Russian circumnavigation under the command of Ivan Krusenstern; Lazarev made a three-year voyage from Kronstadt to the shores of Alaska and back. This time, they were given a particularly serious task: to penetrate the ice of the Southern Ocean as close as possible to the South Pole, discovering unknown lands along the way, “without leaving this enterprise except with insurmountable obstacles,” the instruction to the expedition leader Bellingshausen said.
Mikhail Lazarev
Only half a century has passed since the thousand-day voyage of the famous James Cook, who was stopped by the ice of the southern ocean and declared on his return from the second circumnavigation of the world in his book "Journey to the South Pole and around the world":
"I can safely say that no man will ever dare to penetrate further south than I did."
Thaddeus Bellingshausen
The Russian expedition set off with the intention of going south along the paths that the English navigator had passed. The way to the goal was far. Copenhagen, London, Portsmouth, Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro... Only at the end of November "Vostok" and "Mirny" headed for the South Pole. A description was made of the western coast of South Georgia Island, a volcanic island in the group of the South Sandwich Islands was discovered. Snow, ice, fog accompanied the ships. Just as foggy and inhospitable was the day of January 27, 1820, when a point was reached with coordinates 69 ° 21' 28 "South latitude and 2 ° 14' 50" West longitude. Bellingshausen wrote in his ship's log: "A solid ice field dotted with mounds." Lazarev: "... met hardened ice of extreme height." A study of the navigation maps of the expedition showed that on that day they were near the coast of the Antarctic continent, which was named after 109 years by Norwegian researchers as the Princess Martha Coast.
Thus, a huge continent covered with ice was discovered. But the prudent and precise Bellingshausen wanted to make sure of this by going up to the ground itself. Three attempts were made to approach the mainland, but blocks of ice did not let the ships. More than a hundred days passed in continuous navigation, they went around almost the entire mainland - up to the twentieth meridian. Bellingshausen gave the order to go north, to Australia - to rest. The ships spent a whole month in the port of Sydney, healing the wounds caused by the ice, and then again set off south.
Storms, fogs, icebergs - nothing could stop the brave sailors. They crossed the Antarctic Circle for the sixth time and in January 1821 discovered the island of Peter I, and soon the mountainous coast of the south polar continent, calling it the Coast of Alexander I. From here the sloops turn to the South Shetland Islands, and Russian sailors are the first to explore them.
The impending Antarctic winter forces Bellingshausen to leave the polar waters and begin his return trip to his homeland. On July 24, 1821, after 750 days of sailing, Vostok and Mirny arrived in Kronstadt.
Swimming of Lazarev and Bellingshausen
The results of the expedition were brilliant - 28 islands were discovered in the southern polar seas and the coast of the last mainland that remained unknown to mankind ...
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