Incredible facts

Probably, most people who have long completed school will not immediately answer the difference between the Arctic, Antarctica and Antarctic - where they are, and what is different?

Many doubt the main score due to the similarity of the titles and almost the same climatic conditions.

You can only say with confidence that there is a lot of snow, ice and icebergs there.



What is similar to among themselves Arctic, Antarctica and Antarctica

To better understand what they are similar and what they differ, it is worth starting with the fact that these places are similar.


Name

To be more accurate, this is not similarity, but rather opposition.

The word "Arctic" Has a Greek origin. "Arktos" means "a bear". This is associated with the constellations of a large and small bear, according to which people are guided in search of a polar star, that is, the main northern landmark.

The word "Antarctica" It was invented quite recently, or rather in the twentieth century. The story of his origin is not so interesting. The fact is that the "Antarctica" is a combination of two words "anti" and "Arctic", that is, part of the opposite Arctic, or a bear.

Climate


Eternal snow and icebergs are the result of harsh climate conditions. This is the second similarity of the above territories.

However, it is worth noting that the similarity is not quite complete, since the climate of the Arctic is still softer thanks to warm currents, suitable far enough along the northern coast of the mainland of Eurasia. Here the minimum temperature exceeds the minimum temperature of Antarctic.

What is the difference between the Arctic, Antarctic and Antarctica

Arctic


The northern polar area of \u200b\u200bour planet, which adjoins the North Pole.

The Arctic includes the outskirts of two continents - North America and Eurasia.

The Arctic includes almost the entire Northern Arctic Ocean and many islands in it (except for the coastal Islands of Norway).

The Arctic includes the adjacent parts of the two oceans - the quiet and atlantic.

The average temperature in the Arctic -34 C.

Arctic (photo)



Antarctic


This is the southern polar region of our planet. As already mentioned, its name can be translated as "opposite to the Arctic."

The Antarctic includes the mainland of Antarctic and the part of the three oceans, the quiet, Atlantic and Indian, along with the islands.

Antarctica is the most severe climatic zone of the Earth. Both mainland and nearby islands are covered with ice.

The average temperature in Antarctica -49 C.

Antarctic on the map



Antarctica (photo)



Antarctica

Continent, which is located in the southernmost part of the globe.


Antarctica on the map


Simply put:

Antarctica and Antarctica


1. Antarctica It is a mainland. The area of \u200b\u200bthis mainland is 14.1 million square meters. km., What puts it on the 5th place in the area among all the mainland. He overtook only Australia for this parameter. Antarctica is a deserted continent, Outdoor Lazarev-Bellinshausen expedition in 1820.

2. Antarctica It is a territory that includes both the Mainland Antarctica himself and all the island and the water adjacent to this, the quiet, Atlantic and Indian. According to foreign scientists, who call the Waterial Antarctic by the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Square is about 86 million square meters. km.

3. Relief Antarctica is much more diverse the relief of the mainland, which in it enters.

It is safe to say that there is a lot of common between the Arctic and Antarctic. On both territories in the presence of a harsh climate, endless ice expanses, snow and icebergs, which is why the Arctic and Antarctic on the map are shown in white. They are also widely used for scientific research and weather observations.

But they have the main difference, which will never confuse these two territories, even those who taught geography well at school.

Antarctica is the South Pole, and the Arctic is the North Pole of the Earth.

After conducting a small comparative analysis, let's try to figure out what the Arctic differs from the Antarctic, and will present the data obtained in our small article.

Name

The word Arctic came from an ancient Greek language, and literally means "Medleang". The name is associated with the constellations of a large and small bear, located in the northern hemisphere. People of antiquity It was very important to find a polar star for orientation on the sides of the world, and this star is part of the constellation Malaya Males.

But the word Antarctic appeared in everyday life at the beginning of the twentieth century, and literally means "anti-arctic", that is, part of the land opposite to the Arctic.

Opening

The first to whom the North Pole submitted was the participants of the international expedition running the American Robert Pear. In April 1909, they have achieved their goal, and Piri was officially recognized by a person who was first on the planet managed to achieve the most northern tip of the Earth.

But Antarctica in 1820 opened the Russian expedition, which was commanded by two famous Russian navigator Faddey Bellinshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.

Dimensions and territories

Often under the Antarctic understand Antarctica, implying that these are synonymous words. In fact, it is not. Antarctic includes the southern polar part of the planet, limited to the warm waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

Antarctica is the mainland, and the oceans and located near Antarctica are also included in the Southern Polar region of the planet. The total area is thus obtained in 52 million km². The picture is very clear how great the Antarctic area is clearly seen.

The Arctic is a cluster of ice in the North-Arctic Ocean, and its borders are carried out along the northern polar circle. Thus, the total area of \u200b\u200bthe northern polar field of the planet is equal to 21 million km².

Climate

Antarctic and Arctic climatic belts are almost similar, so the sun's rays are reflected from the surface, almost at an angle of 180 °, which is why there is very cold there, and low humidity prevails.

But, at the North Pole of the Earth, the climate is softer, and the average temperature in the Arctic is -14 -28.2 ° C, but the average temperature in Antarctica in the winter period ranges from -60 to -70 ° C, but in summer a little, but warmer from -25 to -45 ° C.

Limit rates of heat and cold

The maximum minimum on the Arctic amounted to -68 ° C, and in the Antarctic, the thermometer column was lowered for record indicators in -89 ° C. But the warmer day in Antarctic was recorded at the East Antarctic Station on December 16, 1957. On this day, the thermometer column showed -13.6 ° C. As for the Arctic, the thermometer column sometimes rises to the +1,4 ° C.

Antarctica is the highest mainland on the planet. Why is it colder here than in the North Pole? And the fact is that most of Antarctica is located at an altitude of 3 km above the world's ocean level, and, as is well known from physics, the higher, the colder.

Status

In the photo: (from above), as the Arctic is now divided. (bottom) Territorial claims of Russia on the territory of the Arctic

The water area of \u200b\u200bthe Arctic is divided between the countries adjacent to it, but Antarctica is a free territory on which the armament of any kind is forbidden.

In fact, if you take into account this item of an international treaty, each man of the earth can move freely through Antarctica. But only harsh conditions do not allow this to do, and the property of all mankind is used only in research and research purposes.

Population

Over 4 million people live for the northern polar circle, and there is no permanent population in the Antarctic. People work only in temporary polar stations, and the number ranges from 1.5 to 4 thousand people.

Interestingly, 127 nationalities lives behind the northern polar circle of Russia, but 70% of them consider and call themselves Russian.

Stations

Due to the fact that the ice of the Arctic are constantly drifting to equip in the North Pole, permanent stations are quite difficult. But in Antarctica there are plenty of such stations.

In Antarctica there are 89 stations owned by more than 30 states. But not many of them act constantly, and most have long been conserved.

Russia has 5 permanent bases on the southern continent. The nearest to the Russian station Novolazarevskaya is located, which belongs to India, the Maitri station. Translated the name means "friendship", which in harsh polar conditions is important.

Animal world

Penguins live in Antarctica, but on the North Pole - white bears. So, if you see in the photo against the background of the white ice penguins, you know, it is Antarctica. But when white bears bloom on the ice - this is the Arctic.

The animal world of Antarctic is much richer and more diverse than the fauna of the Arctic. Among the ice of Antarctica, many species of mammals dwell, birds, and in coastal waters there are marine seals, seals, tales and whales.

In the Arctic, in addition to the White Bed, walruses, sands, wolves and such amazing animals, as the Arctic Zayak-Belyak and the Greenland Seal, live.

Hunting

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the world community adopted one important law prohibiting hunting in Antarctica. It also prohibits all economic activity on it, and use only for scientific purposes only.

In the Arctic, the hunt is allowed, and the hunting fishery was with ancient times the only means for the survival of the nationalities of the Far North. In the modern world, the hunt in the North Pole is the source of obtaining valuable rocks of fish and meat.

In the Antarctic ice, much more than in the Arctic. It should be noted that approximately 80% of all freshwater reels on the planet Earth focuses on the territory of the Southern Pole.

An interesting and a bit frightening fact, if the Ice of Antarctic is melted, then the level of the world's ocean will rise by 60 m, flooding most of the coastal territories, and some of the islands and countries will go under water as the legendary Atlantis.

If you stand in the North Pole, where you do not look, everywhere will be south. Accordingly, being in the center of Antarctica, in all sides of the observer there will be north.

Mainland and ocean

Complete an article so funny comparison. The Arctic is part of the ocean coated with ice and surrounded by land, and Antarctica is a part of the sushi, covered with ice and surrounded by the ocean.

Both zones are of great importance in climate regulation on Earth, so they require a careful attitude towards themselves. The active intervention of a person in the natural life of two poles can lead to irreversible processes, and lead to disastrous consequences.

So we conducted a small comparative analysis of the Antarctic and the Arctic, and learned than these amazing, and in something mysterious, the territories differ from each other. Now it is unlikely that someone from our readers confuse the names of the two tips of the globe, and can tell with confidence, what is the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic, and the main thing is to show on the map or globe where the Antarctic is located and where the Arctic is located.

What is the difference between the Arctic, Antarctic and Antarctica? These are two territories. Antarctica and Antarctica - essentially the same thing. Only the Antarctic is called the natural zone, and Antarctica is the mainland on which it is located. Therefore, only such terms such as the Arctic and Antarctic are correctly compared.

From the overall of the Arctic and Antarctic, the ocean, which is washes, and the harsh cold climate and the eternal ice, which in them reigns. Similar names are the cause of confusion. But geographically, they are as far away from each other, on different poles of the Earth. So the North Pole is in the Arctic, and the South Pole - in Antarctica.

But the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic lies even in the title of these regions. It is known that the Arctic was discovered much earlier by Antarctic. This territory received its name from the Greek word "Arktos", which is literally translated into Russian as "Medleang". This name is no coincidence, because when searching for a polar star, the main celestial landmark of the Northern Direction must be addressed to the constellations of a large and small bear. The Antarctic was called the Antarctic only in the past century, and this name means nothing more than the "anti-Arctic", that is, what is at the opposite end of the Earth from the Arctic.

The Arctic is relatively warmer by Antarctic, the reason for this are warm currents that Eurasia enhanced from the north and in the Arctic Ocean reach the Arctic. The temperature differences here are also less than in the Antarctic, and the lowest thermometer marks are higher. On average, the temperature in the Arctic will be ten degrees higher than in Antarctica. The reason for this partly is the height of the Arctic, the ice of this region are afloat and are not towering above sea level than a few meters, therefore the temperature is higher here.

The Arctic region is less than Antarctic, it includes the North Pole, as well as the ice and the water of the Arctic Ocean to the shores of North America and Eurasia. The Arctic Center is located in the ocean, the only mainland territories in this zone are the next to the northern waters of the shore of Eurasia and North America, there is no land in the very northern pole, only ice.

The Arctic is much richer Antarctic in the presence of flora and fauna. It is here that there are white bears inhabit, there are no them on the southern pole. At the mainland territory of the Arctic, hundreds of species of northern plants, lichen and moss grow, and hundreds of algae are present in the seas. Even cereal plants and trees with shrubs can be found closer to the southern borders of the Arctic. The animal world is also much richer, animals are on the islands and mainland, where the climate is softer than on the pole. The main animal of the Arctic is, of course, the polar bear, in honor of which this territory is named.

The degree of economic development of the Arctic is much higher than the Antarctic area. In part, this is due to the fact that there are boundaries of such tightly populated continents as Eurasia and North America and on the coast, life is actively pissed. Here, the local population has established the extraction of fish and seafood, work is underway to find and developing minerals (especially oil and gas). In addition, it is known that the Arctic was a place for testing particularly dangerous weapons, such as nuclear. Beavenly snow-covered expanses were a military polygon. It is also important to note that the northern seaway passes through the Arctic - this is the shortest way to get around the sea and deliver cargo from Asia to Europe.

In general, it is possible to characterize the Arctic as a promising and developing region. Here, a variety of economic activities and exploration of new resources of this area continues until now. The many indigenous peoples live here and researchers and workers live seasonally. Russia in the past and is currently actively mastering this region. Now the RUSSIA of Russia for geological work is very justified, because they can help prove that most of the Arctic refers to the Russian continental shelf, so our country has the full right to carry out oil, gas and other valuable minerals in this region. And this will give a new impetus for the Russian economy as a whole. After all, Russia has long been specialized, including on the development and production of oil and gas from the depths of the Earth.

Antarctica has a more severe climate than the Arctic. The temperature arctic minimum here is lower and the harsh difference in temperature. This is due to the fact that Antarctica is a mainland, which means ice and snow that are here, will be certainly higher than in the Arctic. The average height is about two thousand meters above sea level. Most of this height make up ice boulders. Therefore, on average, the temperature in Antarctic will be below ten degrees than in the Arctic.

Antarctica More Arctic is almost twice. Antarctica includes the South Pole and the land of Antarctica, as well as cold waters that are not included in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. One of the main differences between Antarctica from the Arctic is the presence of the mainland. The South Pole is on the mainland, and the Antarctic itself in some places are free from ice. But the Antarctic zone is wider than the mainland - it is limited to territories where cold Arctic flows face with warmer waters of the oceans.

The Arctic region is not rich on plants and animals, despite the fact that the continigious zone of Antarctic is greater than in the Arctic of plants here there are except for some algae, rare mosses and lichens. There are only two types of colors here - this is a meadowik and colobantus. And the animal world should be noted such an unusual bird as a penguin. Penguins live only in Antarctic and are completely absent in the Arctic. For more of the part, only marine animals and some birds live here, and those mainly, with the northern border of Antarctic, where cold waters are mixed with warmth of the world's oceans. Few representatives of fauna can withstand such a harsh climate as in Antarctica.

Antarctic is absolutely not similar to the Arctic in terms of development of the territory. Here, nothing is mined and not experienced. The fact is that Antarctic is protected from any such economic activity of a person by a special international agreement, and more precisely by the 1959 Convention. The restriction acts even on the military ships, this agreement prohibits them to be in the Antarctic zone and cross the 60th parallel. The only activity that is permitted in this area is scientific activities. Antarctica posted their scientific stations more than fifty countries. Here, especially bold scientists are observed for meteorological conditions, Flora, fauna and climate change. The Russian scientific station is also present in this region and conducts detailed environmental analysis. Polar Antarctic Mainland is currently a real global reserve. The earth under the ice remains primarily, which gives great opportunities for scientific research.

Summing up, we can say that the Arctic and Antarctic differ very much. They have an excellent climate, flora, fauna, degree of sobility by man and much more. But there are similarities - it is cold temperatures and the fact that the huge territory of these regions is covered with ice and snow. Few living organisms can survive in the conditions of permafrost, but a person continues to master these polar regions.


Parts of the Earth are the knowledge that everyone who ended with a person who finished the school. However, not all adults can answer the question: what is the difference between Antarctica from the Arctic and Antarctica. These geographic objects are on different terrestrial poles, so they have little in common.

What includes the Arctic?

The territory of the Arctic includes a part of the Arctic Ocean, some of its islands, as well as some areas of Asia, North America and Europe.

The Arctic is considered a cold climatic zone. The average temperature there: -34 degrees Celsius. Almost its entire territory is covered with glaciers, so the northern architect ocean adjacent to it is the murous.

Arctic Square - 21 million square kilometers. Despite the fact that almost the entire territory of the Arctic is covered with ice, it has many minerals:

  1. Diamonds.
  2. Phosphorus.
  3. Gold and silver.
  4. Carbohydrate and mineral raw materials.
  5. Chrome, etc.

As for the vegetation world, due to low temperatures, there are practically no plants in the Arctic. The trees are not here at all, but shrubs grow from the southern part of the region. Some of them achieve more than two meters in height.

  • cereals;
  • lichens and mosses;
  • herbs;
  • ordinary and dwarf shrubs;

Despite the fact that plants in the Arctic are really not much, the situation is different with animals. Many fauna representatives are not afraid to dwell in cold climatic conditions. What animals can you meet here?

  • polar bears;
  • snow rams;
  • sheby;
  • wild reindeer.

Despite the strong frosts in the Arctic dwells a large number of animals

In local water resources, very valuable fish breeds are found.

But do people live here? Yes, about 4 million people live in the Arctic. They live behind the northern polar circle. Moreover, in this cold place there is even a job. There are radiometrs, polar stations, as well as more than 10 polar international expeditions.

The territory of the Arctic includes even Russian cities, such as Tromsk, Murmansk, Norilsk and Salekhard.

The cold does not disappear here even in the summer, so lovers of ice and frost often come here.

In the Arctic, large gold reserves

Antarctic

Antarctica is the South Polar Region of the Earth, which is located in the south. This mainland is washed by three oceans: quiet, Indian and Atlantic. The islands of each of these oceans are adjacent to the territory of Antarctica.

This term also has a Greek root. Antarctica is translated as "opposite to the Arctic." The Arctic and Antarctic are really little similar, even climate. In Antarctica is colder than in the Arctic. For comparison, the average temperature here: -49 degrees Celsius. This territory is considered the most severe area of \u200b\u200bthe planet.

The feature of the Antarctic area is that it is almost completely covered with ice. The area of \u200b\u200bthe mainland is 52 kilometers square.

Here is a unique nature, which is why the plant and animal world of Antarctic is distinguished by variety. It does not find freshwater fish and mammals, but sea seals, walruses, whales are inhabited in these territories, etc. on the mainland coast, you can find a huge number of penguins and albatrosses.

As for Antarctic vegetation, it is possible to allocate:

  • mushrooms;
  • lichens and mosses;
  • seaweed;
  • flower plants, etc.

Since it is very cold on this mainland, people do not live here. Nevertheless, several research stations are built here. These stations live scientists engaged in research activities.

Research groups of scientists in Antarctic

The Arctic and Antarctic differ not only to the temperature, but also the amount of ice.

Thus, based on these data, you can compare the Arctic and Antarctic, allocation of such moments:

  1. These two areas are extreme earthly poles, the Arctic - North, and Antarctica - South.
  2. These two poles are washed by different oceans, as each of them is at a high distance from each other.
  3. The North Pole is warmer than the southern, so people can live there. As for Antarctic, only scientists engaged in research activities temporarily live there.
  4. And one and the second area have a unique climate, due to which various types of animals live there. Also on every pole there are plants.
  5. Part of the north pole is divided between five states, while no one has the territory of the southern pole.

Before determining how the Arctic differs from Antarctica, it is necessary to bring information about the second area.

In the Arctic and Antarctic cold, dark, and we often think that these two places are almost the same. And they are completely different. The remarkable difference is that the polar bears live only in the Arctic, and penguins live only in Antarctica.

What is the difference between the Arctic from Antarctic

The most important Arctic Antarctic differences between the two regions is to differences in sea ice.

The sea ice of the Arctic and Antarctic differs due to their differences in geography. The Arctic is a semi-closed ocean, the land is almost completely surrounded. The sea ice in the Arctic is not so mobile as the sea ice in Antarctica. Although the sea ice is moving around the Arctic basin, it remains in cold Arctic waters. Icebergs are more prone to the consension - faced with each other, accumulate in thick torus. These converging floors make the Arctic ice thicker.

The ice remains frozen longer during the summer melt - the Arctic sea ice is maintained throughout the summer and continues to grow the next autumn. Of 15 million square kilometers (5.8 million square miles) of marine ice, existing during the winter, on average, 7 million square kilometers (2.7 million square miles) remain at the end of the summer season of melting.

Minimum and maximum coating of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic
This satellite data on the concentration of marine ice shows the average minimum and maximum area of \u200b\u200bsea ice in March and September for the Arctic and Antarctica from 1979 to 2000 seasons - opposite hemispheres - southern and northern; Southern reaches a summer minimum in February, and the North reaches a summer minimum in September. (March is shown for both hemispheres for consistency.) Dark circles in the center of images of the Northern Hemisphere are areas devoid of data due to the limitations of satellite coating on the North Pole.

Antarctica is surrounded by the ocean. The open ocean allows the formation of sea ice to move freely, have high drift velocities. There are Antarctic Sea Speakers much less often than in the Arctic. The absence of a land border in the north allows the sea ice to swim freely north into warmer water, where he ultimately melts. As a result, almost all of the sea ice, formed during the period of the Antarctic winter, melts during the summer.

In winter, up to 18 million square kilometers (6.9 million square miles) of the ocean is covered with sea ice, but by the end of summer, there are only 3 million square kilometers (1.1 million square miles) of marine ice.

Sea ice does not accumulate in the Antarctic, as it happens in the Arctic, it does not have the opportunity to grow like the sea ice of the Arctic. Most of the Arctic is covered with sea ice up to 2 - 3 meters thick. Arctic regions are covered with ice 4 - 5 meters thick.

Antarctic ice is collected approximately symmetrically around the pole, forming the circle of Antarctica. In contrast, the Arctic asymmetric. For example, the sea ice from the east coast of Canada extends to the south of Newfoundland up to 50 degrees of northern latitude, and ice blocks from the east coast extend to the Russian Bohaji Gulf, about 38 degrees of northern latitude. On the contrary, in the countries of Western Europe, the northern coast of Norway by 70 degrees of northern latitude (2000 kilometers, or 1243 miles, then the north of Newfoundland and Japan) as a whole remains free from ice. Ocean flows and wind directions can explain these differences.

The Arctic region north of the Atlantic Ocean is open to warmer waters from the south. These warm waters can flow into the Arctic and prevent the formation of sea ice in the North Atlantic. Water in the eastern shores of Canada and Russia depends on cold air moving from the Earth from the West. The coast of Eastern Canada is also powered by cold water flows that simplify the growth of sea ice.

Since the Arctic Ocean is mainly covered with ice, surrounded by land, the precipitation here is relatively rare. Antarctica, however, is completely surrounded by the ocean, so moisture becomes more affordable. Antarctic sea ice, as a rule, is covered with thick snow - the weight of snow pushes the ice below the sea level, resulting in the snow, floods the saline waters of the ocean.

Antarctic sea ice does not reach the southern pole, expanding only on an area of \u200b\u200babout 75 degrees of southern latitude (in Ross and Weddell Seas), because of Antarctica. However, the Arctic Sea Loda reaches the North Pole. Here, the Arctic Sea Loda gets less solar energy to its surface, because the rays the sun falls under a sharper corner, compared with lower latitudes.

The water of the Pacific Ocean and several rivers in Russia and Canada are provided with fresh, less dense water from the Arctic Ocean. So the architect ocean has a layer of fresh cold water near the surface with warm salted water below. This cold, fresh water layer allows you to grow ice in the Arctic more than in the Antarctic.