Lists of places in Antarctica

Lists of places in Antarctica

Coordinates	80°S90°E / 80°S 90°E / -80; 90
Area	Ranked 2nd (unofficially)
• Total	14,000,000 km2 (5,400,000 sq mi)
• Land	100%
• Water	0%
Coastline	17,968 km (11,165 mi)
Borders	No land boundaries
Highest point	Vinson Massif, 4,897 m (16,066 ft)
Lowest point	Bentley Subglacial Trench, −2,555 m (−8,382.5 ft)
Longest river	Onyx River, 25 km
Largest lake	Lake Vostok, 26,000 sq m (est.)
Climate	subantarctic to antarctic
Terrain	ice and barren rock
Natural resources	krill, fin fish, crab
Natural hazards	high winds, blizzards, cyclonic storms, volcanism
Environmental issues	depleting ozone layer, rising sea level

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.

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

Geographic features

Ridges and rock features

• Austranten Rock
• Avalanche Corrie

Mountains and hills

There are a number of mountain lists for Antarctica:

• List of mountains of Enderby Land
• List of mountains of Wilkes Land
• List of mountains of Queen Maud Land
• List of mountains of East Antarctica
• List of Ultras of Antarctica
• List of mountains of Princess Elizabeth Land
• List of mountains of Mac. Robertson Land

To be added to lists are:

• Alexander Peak, Haines Mountains, Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land
• Atwater Hill
• Brand Peak
• Buennagel Peak, Haines Mountains, Ford Ranges, Marie Byrd Land
• Buettner Peak, Mount Murphy massif, Marie Byrd Land
• Buggisch Peak, Edson Hills, in the Heritage Range, Ellsworth Mountains, Marie Byrd Land.
• Lester Peak, Edson Hills, in the Heritage Range, Ellsworth Mountains, Marie Byrd Land.
• Mount Arrowsmith
• Mount Atholl
• Mount Axtell
• Mount Boda
• Mount Bodys
• Mount Brading
• Mount Murphy massif, Bucher Peak, Marie Byrd Land
• Mount Byerly, Marie Byrd Land
• Pirrit Hills

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 very few permanent human population centers, including two civilian bases. Most settlements, however, are not permanent and are lighthouses and research stations.

Lighthouses

Main article: List of lighthouses in Antarctica

Research stations

Main article: Research stations in Antarctica

Permanent Urban Settlements

Esperanza Base (Permanent base with civilian presence).

Villa Las Estrellas (Permanent base with civilian presence). (Village).

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 (2013). "Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica" (PDF). The Cryosphere Journal. 7 (1): 390. Bibcode:2013TCry....7..375F. doi: 10.5194/tc-7-375-2013 . Retrieved 6 January 2014.