Antarctica: Land Surrounded by Water

There is no single definition of the Antarctic, though the phrase The Antarctic generally means the continent of Antarctica, together with its surrounding ice shelves, islands, and seas. In geographical terms, the Antarctic encompasses the whole area south of the 60th parallel, which is the area to which the Antarctic Treaty applies.

From a scientific point of view, the oceanographic and biological boundary formed by the Antarctic Convergence might be the most appropriate outer limit. The Antarctic Circle (at latitude 66°33S) is not very useful in this respect, since some parts of the continent itself are north of this line.

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent with an area of roughly 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles). Most of this area, however, is made up by a vast permanent ice sheet averaging 2,450 meters (8,000 feet) in thickness. Only about one percent of the total landmass is visible, as mountains and coastal features.

From Quark Expeditions Antarctica: The Reader presented to travelers on all of our Antarctic expeditions.