The Antarctic is a polar region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other island territories located on the Antarctic Plate or south of the Antarctic Convergence. The Antarctic region includes the ice shelves, waters, and all the island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence, a zone approximately 32 to 48 km wide varying in latitude seasonally. The region covers some 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere, of which 5.5 percent is the surface area of the Antarctic continent itself. All of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude are administered under the Antarctic Treaty System. Biogeographically, the Antarctic ecozone is one of eight ecozones of the Earth's land surface.
The Antarctical realm is one of eight terrestrial biogeographic realms. The ecosystem includes Antarctica and several island groups in the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The continent of Antarctica is so cold and dry that it has supported only 2 vascular plants for millions of years, and its flora presently consists of around 250 lichens, 100 mosses, 25-30 liverworts, and around 700 terrestrial and aquatic algal species, which live on the areas of exposed rock and soil around the shore of the continent. Antarctica's two flowering plant species, the Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort, are found on the northern and western parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is also home to a diversity of animal life, including penguins, seals, and whales.
Amundsen Glacier is a major Antarctic glacier, about 6 to 10 km wide and 128 km (80 mi) long, originating on the polar plateau where it drains the area to the south and west of Nilsen Plateau, and descending through the Queen Maud Mountains to enter the Ross Ice Shelf just west of the MacDonald Nunataks. The tributary Blackwall Glacier flows northwest along the northeast side of Hansen Spur to join Amundsen Glacier.
Boyana Glacier in Levski Ridge, Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands in Antarctica is situated southeast of Macy Glacier and west-southwest of Srebarna Glacier. It is bounded by Vazov Rock on the west, St. Naum Peak, Starosel Gate, Silistra Knoll and Kotel Gap on the north, and Christoff Cliff on the east. The glacier extends 3 km in east-west direction and 1.6 km in north-south direction, and flows southeastward into the Bransfield Strait between Vazov Point and Aytos Point.
Kaliakra Glacier is a glacier in northeastern Livingston Island, Antarctica extending 3.8 nautical miles in east-west direction and 4.3 nautical miles in north-south direction, and situated southeast of Saedinenie Snowfield, southwest of Panega Glacier, north of Struma Glacier and upper Huron Glacier, and northeast of Perunika Glacier. It is bounded by Melnik Ridge and Bowles Ridge to the south, by Hemus Peak, Gurev Gap, Gleaner Heights, Elhovo Gap, Leslie Hill, Leslie Gap and Radnevo Peak to the west, and Miziya Peak and Samuel Peak to the north. The glacier drains eastwards into Moon Bay south of Perperek Knoll and north of Sindel Point.
Kamchiya Glacier is located on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated south of the glacial divide between the Drake Passage and Bransfield Strait, and south of Tundzha Glacier, west-southwest of Pimpirev Glacier and east of Verila Glacier. The glacier extends 5 km along an east–west axis and is 2.2 km wide, draining into South Bay between Ereby Point and Memorable Beach.
Murgash Glacier is the 3.4 km long and 3.2 km wide glacier on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated southeast of Yakoruda Glacier, south of Teteven Glacier, southwest of Traub Glacier and west-northwest of Bravo Glacier. It is bounded by
Lloyd Hill on the northwest, Tile Ridge on the east and Hebrizelm Hill on the southeast, and drains southwards into Kramolin Cove in McFarlane Strait between Yovkov Point and Kaspichan Point.
Wulfila Glacier is located on the southern slopes of Breznik Heights, Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, south-southwest of Solis Glacier and west of Zheravna Glacier. It is bounded by Oborishte Ridge to the northwest, Nevlya Peak to the north, Terter Peak and Razgrad Peak to the northeast, and Ephraim Bluff to the southeast. The glacier extends 3 km in northwest-southeast direction and 2 km in northeast-southwest direction, draining southwestwards into McFarlane Strait between Ephraim Bluff and the base of Provadiya Hook.
The Antarctic Place-names Commission was established by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute in 1994, and since 2001 has been a body affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria.
The Scott Glacier is a major glacier, 120 miles (190 km) long, that drains the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the Queen Maud Mountains to the Ross Ice Shelf. The Scott Glacier is one of a series of major glaciers flowing across the Transantarctic Mountains, with the Amundsen Glacier to the west and the Leverett and Reedy glaciers to the east.
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,200,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth-largest continent. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Letnitsa Glacier is a 0.9 nautical miles long glacier on Smith Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica draining the southeast slopes of Imeon Range east of Organa Peak and south of Riggs Peak. It is situated southwest of Gramada Glacier and northeast of Kremena Ice Piedmont, and flows southeastward into Hisarya Cove, Osmar Strait. Bulgarian early mapping in 2009. The glacier is named after the town of Letnitsa in northern Bulgaria.
Gramada Glacier is a 1.6 nautical miles long glacier on Smith Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica draining the southeast slopes of Imeon Range east of Riggs Peak, southeast of Madan Saddle and south of Neofit Peak. It is situated southwest of Armira Glacier and northeast of Letnitsa Glacier, and flows southeastward into Brashlyan Cove on Osmar Strait. Bulgarian early mapping in 2009. The glacier is named after the town of Gramada in northwestern Bulgaria.
Armira Glacier is a 1.6 nautical miles long glacier on Smith Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica draining the southeast slopes of Imeon Range southeast of Slaveykov Peak and east of Neofit Peak. It is situated southwest of Dragoman Glacier and northeast of Gramada Glacier, and flows southeastward into Yarebitsa Cove on Osmar Strait. Bulgarian early mapping in 2009. The glacier is named after Armira River in southeastern Bulgaria.
Krivodol Glacier is a 3.8 km long glacier on Smith Island, South Shetland Islands in Antarctica draining the southeast slopes of Imeon Range northeast and east of Antim Peak, southeast of Varshets Saddle and south of Slatina Peak. It is situated southwest of Ovech Glacier and northeast of Pashuk Glacier, and flows southeastward into Osmar Strait northeast od Sredets Point. Bulgarian early mapping in 2008. The glacier is named after the town of Krivodol in northwestern Bulgaria.
Yablanitsa Glacier is a 1.8 km long glacier on Smith Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is situated north-northeast of Chuprene Glacier, southwest of Vetrino Glacier and northwest of Ovech Glacier, and flows west of Drinov Peak into Cabut Cove. The feature is named after the town of Yablanitsa in northern Bulgaria.
Bartlett Glacier is a tributary glacier, about 30 nautical miles (60 km) long and 5 nautical miles (10 km) wide at its terminus, flowing northeast from Nilsen Plateau and joining Scott Glacier close north of Mount Gardiner. It was discovered in December 1934 by the Byrd Antarctic Expedition geological party under Quin Blackburn, and named by Richard E. Byrd for Captain Robert A. Bartlett of Brigus, Newfoundland, a noted Arctic navigator and explorer who recommended that the expedition acquire the Bear, an ice-ship which was purchased and rechristened by Byrd as the Bear of Oakland.
Blackwall Glacier is a tributary glacier, 8 nautical miles (15 km) long, which drains a portion of the west slope of Nilsen Plateau. It flows northwest along the northeast side of Hansen Spur to join Amundsen Glacier. The name was used by both the 1963–64 and 1970–71 Ohio State University field parties at Nilsen Plateau; all the rock walls surrounding this glacier are black in appearance.
Epler Glacier is a tributary glacier, 10 nautical miles long, draining west from Nilsen Plateau in the Queen Maud Mountains to enter Amundsen Glacier just south of the Olsen Crags. It was mapped by the United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1960–64, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Charles F. Epler, a storekeeper with U.S. Navy Squadron VX-6 on Operation Deep Freeze 1966 and 1967.
