In other words, the Earth is 360 degrees around. As we move North-South, we change through 180 degrees. In other words, going from the North Pole to the South Pole is 180 degrees. These spherical coordinates (latitude and longitude) indicate locations on a 3-dimensional representation of the Earth.
Important lines of latitude:
- the equator (0°)
- the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° north)
- the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° south)
- the Arctic circle (66.5° north)
- the Antarctic circle (66.5° south)
- the North Pole (90° north)
- the South Pole (90° south)
Latitude implies the geographic coordinates that determine the distance of a point, north-south of the equator. Longitude alludes to the geographic coordinate, which identifies the distance of a point, east-west of the Prime Meridian.
Latitudes are also called parallel lines because these are located at parallel distance though betwen two lines the distances are different at different latitudes.
The most important line of longitude is the Greenwich or Prime Meridian (0°). This line runs through the Greenwich Observatory in London.
Latitude is an angle (defined below) which ranges from 0° at the Equator to 90° (North or South) at the poles. Lines of constant latitude, or parallels, run east–west as circles parallel to the equator. Latitude is used together with longitude to specify the precise location of features on the surface of the Earth.
One measures the distance from the equator, the other from the Prime Meridian. This illustration of Earth is overlaid with a grid of latitude and longitude. The horizontal lines are latitude and the vertical lines are longitude.
The Short Answer: Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are cold because they don't get any direct sunlight. However, the South Pole is a lot colder than the North Pole.
The people who travel to or live in Antarctica fall into two main groups, those who live and work on scientific research stations or bases, and tourists. No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents.
Antarctica is (for obvious reasons) the least-visited continent, and the South Pole is (because it is not accessible by sea) the least-visited site in Antarctica that is nominally "open to tourism". Most expeditions take place in November thru January, during the Antarctic summer/day.
Antarctica's closest access point is in South America. Ushuaia in Argentina is the major thoroughfare for Antarctic expeditions. From here, you can visit the Antarctic Peninsula as well as the sub-Antarctic islands such as South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
As the leader of two major expeditions to Antarctica, Robert Falcon Scott is credited with discovering that Antarctica is a continent. He reached the South Pole on Jan 17, 1912, a month after Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen did.
The main reasons there are no polar bears in Antarctica are evolution, location and climate.
What makes the South Pole so much colder than the North Pole is that it sits on top of a very thick ice sheet, which itself sits on a continent. The surface of the ice sheet at the South Pole is more than 9,000 feet in elevation--more than a mile and a half above sea level.
Time Zones Currently Being Used in Antarctica
| Offset | Time Zone Abbreviation & Name | Current Time |
|---|
| UTC +0 | GMT | Sun, 9:31:52 am |
| UTC +5 | MAWT | Sun, 2:31:52 pm |
| UTC +6 | VOST | Sun, 3:31:52 pm |
| UTC +7 | DAVT | Sun, 4:31:52 pm |
At this ceremony, the Geographic South Pole marker, sign, and American flag are repositioned to compensate for the movement of the ice. Here at the South Pole, the ice moves approximately 10 meters each year, so shifting the Geographic South Pole is necessary to maintain the 90 degrees South latitude.
Because Earth's Magnetic North Pole attracts the "north" ends of other magnets, it is technically the "south pole" of the planet's magnetic field. The magnetic poles and the geographic poles don't line up, and the difference between them is called declination.
Antarctica has just two seasons: summer and winter. Antarctica has six months of daylight in its summer and six months of darkness in its winter. In the winter, Antarctica is on the side of Earth tilted away from the sun, causing the continent to be dark.
No one actually lives at the North Pole. Inuit people, who live in the nearby Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, and Russia, have never made homes at the North Pole. The ice is constantly moving, making it nearly impossible to establish a permanent community.
The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is the United States scientific research station at the South Pole of the Earth. It is the southernmost point under the jurisdiction (not sovereignty) of the United States. The station is on the high plateau of Antarctica at 2,835 metres (9,301 feet) above sea level.
Antarctica is the only continent on Earth without a native human population. Since no country owns Antarctica, no visa is required to travel there. If you are a citizen of a country that is a signatory of the Antarctic Treaty, you do need to get permission to travel to Antarctica.
Airplanes often avoid air paths that take them over Mt Everest or the Pacific Ocean. This is because "the Himalayas have mountains higher than 20,000 feet, including Mt Everest standing at 29,035 feet. However, most commercial airplanes can fly at 30,000 feet."
People from all over the world undertake research in Antarctica, but Antarctica is not owned by any one nation. Antarctica is governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had scientists in and around Antarctica at the time.
At least 11 children have been born in Antarctica. The first was Emilio Marcos Palma, born on 7 January 1978 to Argentine parents at Esperanza, Hope Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula. In 2001, National Geographic reported that eight children had been born at Esperanza alone.
The militaryTravel to Antarctica is strictly controlled under the Antarctic Treaty which aims to protect the continent for peace and scientific research. The 53 countries under the treaty, including New Zealand, apply to conduct operations on the ice. The majority of work is carried out by the military or contractors.
5 Places Where Passenger Planes Can't Normally Fly
- There are some areas in the world where passenger aircraft are not allowed to fly.
- The Holy Kaaba is a sacred place that is protected with prohibited airspace.
- Machu Picchu is a protected historical and environmental wonder.
- Aircraft are not allowed to fly within 5,000 feet of the Parthenon in Athens.
