Antarctica | Wikipedia audio article
Channel: wikipedia tts
Date: 2018-12-08

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Antarctica


00:02:48 1 Etymology
00:04:10 2 Change of name
00:05:13 3 History of exploration
00:12:23 4 Geography
00:17:13 5 Geology
00:17:22 5.1 Geological history and palaeontology
00:18:01 5.1.1 Palaeozoic era (540–250 Ma)
00:19:15 5.1.2 Mesozoic era (250–66 Ma)
00:20:41 5.1.3 Gondwana breakup (160–23 Ma)
00:22:10 5.1.4 Neogene Period (23–0.05 Ma)
00:22:27 5.1.5 Meyer Desert Formation biota
00:22:55 5.2 Present-day
00:25:05 6 Climate
00:29:06 7 Population
00:32:09 8 Biodiversity
00:32:18 8.1 Animals
00:34:50 8.2 Fungi
00:36:19 8.3 Plants
00:37:19 8.4 Other organisms
00:37:49 8.5 Conservation
00:39:26 9 Politics
00:42:18 9.1 Antarctic territories
00:43:57 10 Economy
00:47:16 11 Research
00:51:58 11.1 Meteorites
00:54:17 12 Ice mass and global sea level
00:58:23 13 Effects of global warming
01:01:08 14 Ozone depletion
01:02:41 15 See also



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SUMMARY
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Antarctica (UK:  or , US:  (listen)) 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 14,000,000 square kilometres (5,400,000 square miles), 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 (1.2 mi; 6,200 ft) in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 in) along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) (or even −94.7 °C (−135.8 °F) as measured from space), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C (−81 °F). Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at research stations scattered across the continent. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista, and certain animals, such as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra.
Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") date back to antiquity, Antarctica is noted as the last region on Earth in recorded history to be discovered, unseen until 1820 when the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on Vostok and Mirny sighted the Fimbul ice shelf. The continent, however, remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of easily accessible resources, and isolation. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was conducted by a team of Norwegians.
Antarctica is a de facto condominium, governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty System that have consulting status. Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, and thirty-eight have signed it since then. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists from many nations.