Eyewitness (Nature Series) - Arctic & Antarctic [VHS]
Which is which? We think of both places as similar ice realms, butEyewitness: Arctic and Antarcticexplains how they are a world apart (both literally and figuratively). The polar regions received their names from the Greeks: the Arctic is so called for the Great Bear, Arctus, in the northern sky; the opposite of that, Antarctic, means "no bear." The story of these icy kingdoms begins with a fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, beautifully narrated by Martin Sheen, who goes on to explain the harsh ecosystems. The Arctic is a continent of ice, capable of producing icebergs the size of Belgium. Amazingly, the average iceberg holds enough freshwater to supply a family of five for 100,000 years. This documentary is chock full of facts and information about these icy lands at the top and bottom of our earth, and at the same time is extraordinary and fascinating to watch.--Samantha Allen Storey