Question 2 of 21

What's the average annual temperature in Antarctica?

... The average temperature in Antarctica is minus 22 Fahrenheit (minus 24 Celsius). This is because the coastal areas have an average temperature of 14 F. Though the temperature is the interior of Antarctica is much lower (an annual average of minus 58 F), the average of the two gives you a "balmy" minus 22 F.

Question 3 of 21

Are there insects in Antarctica?

... There are more than 60 identified species of insects living in Antarctica. Most of the insects are parasites and live on the skin and fur of animals such as seals.

Question 4 of 21

How big is Antarctica?

... Antarctica is about 5,400,000 square miles (13,985,936 square kilometers), or twice the size of Australia.

Question 5 of 21

Antarctica can be classified as a ________ .

... Deserts are not only made of sand! Antarctica is technically a desert, because it receives only about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of annual precipitation in the continent's interior.

Question 6 of 21

Antarctica is the highest continent above sea level.

... Antarctica sits an average of 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) above sea level. As a comparison, Europe's elevation is just 980 feet (299 meters) higher than sea level and North America sits at a 2,000-foot (610-meter) average.

Question 7 of 21

Antarctica does NOT have ________ .

... Antarctica is the only continent with no native reptiles or amphibians -- what self-respecting creature would evolve to slither and crawl along ice at those subzero temperatures?

Question 8 of 21

What's the most abundant animal found in Antarctica?

... There are seven different species of penguins living in Antarctica and the surrounding subantarctic Islands; penguins are the most abundant animal on the coldest continent.

Question 9 of 21

What's the difference in weight between the largest and smallest species of penguin living in Antarctica?

... The largest species of penguin in Antarctica is the emperor penguin, which can weigh up to 66 pounds (30 kilograms), and the smallest one is the rock hopper penguin, which weighs just 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg). That makes for more than 55 pounds (25 kilograms) difference -- and you thought all penguins were alike!

Question 10 of 21

Which research station is the most isolated in Antarctica?

... Russia's Vostok Station sits within what's known as "the Pole of Cold," where the coldest temperatures on Earth have been recorded. It's at the center of the East Antarctic ice sheet, so its interior location makes it even more remote.

Question 11 of 21

What plants live in Antarctica?

... Lichens are not the only plant to live on Antarctica, but they are the most abundant. You also can find algae and moss on snow-free areas of land.

Question 12 of 21

The average annual temperature in Antarctica might not be as low as you'd imagine, but it gets really chilly in certain areas. What's the record low recorded in Antarctica?

... The minus 129 F (minus 89 C) was minus 128.6 to be exact, but who's counting -- or able to -- when temperatures drop that low? The reading is the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth. It happened at the Vostok station in 1983.

Question 13 of 21

How many research stations are there in Antarctica?

... Australia, Russia and the United States have the most stations each, with France, the UK, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa rounding out the total of more than 30 permanent Antarctic stations. That's right -- researchers tough it out all year long.

Question 14 of 21

Technically speaking, penguins and seals do not "live" in Antarctica; why?

... Penguins and seals live in the water, rather than on land. Also, both animals move south of Argentina during the depth of winter, so they're not always on Antarctica. Using that definition, there are only three species that truly live in Antarctica year-round, and all three are insects.

Question 15 of 21

What makes the Notothenioidei (Antarctic fish) special?

... The combination of these features -- no hemoglobin, antifreeze-like chemicals and no swim bladders -- make Notothenioidei suitable to survive the Arctic temperatures.

Question 16 of 21

Which of the following has been banned in Antarctica since 1994?

... An international treaty agreed to ban dogs from Antarctica to protect local wildlife. There was fear that dogs might spread distemper to seals.

Question 17 of 21

How many people live in Antarctica?

... This is a bit of a trick question. Although there are technically no permanent residents in Antarctica, there are an average of 1,000 to 5,000 people in Antarctica at any given time. These are scientists, workers and researchers living in the research stations.

Question 18 of 21

The ice sheet that covers Antarctica has an average thickness of ________ .

... With a 5,000-foot (1,524-meter) thick ice covering, Antarctica is home to more than 90 percent of the ice in the world.

Question 19 of 21

If all of the ice covering Antarctica melted, how much would ocean levels rise?

... Although this is an unlikely scenario, a rise of 197 feet (60 meters) would be catastrophic and destroy every coastal city in the world. Even partial melting and rising ocean levels can have devastating effects.

Question 20 of 21

Parts of Antarctica fall into the polar circle, the area that has polar nights (nights that last for more than 24 hours.). How long is a polar night at the poles?

... A polar night can last up to 179 days at the poles, and varies in length within the Arctic and Antarctic circles, as do the kinds and amounts of twilight.

Question 21 of 21

Besides being the coldest continent, Antarctica also is the ________ continent.

... At Cape Dennison at Commonwealth Bay, the mean annual speed of the wind is 50 mph (80 kph), placing Antarctica at the top in wind as well.

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