Antarctica

The stars that shine in the heavens over Antarctica are part of the great Southern Hemisphere of stars. Because there is no particulate in the air, and especially when there are no sunrises, star-gazing can become an engaging past time.

Antarctica is the most extreme place on earth: the coldest, driest, darkest, windiest and highest continent. It is essentially uninhabitable.

Yes. In fact, for up to six months at the South Pole, every summer, Antarctica experiences at least one 24-hour period of sunlight each day.

The ice sheet that covers 98% of the continent is under threat from global warming. As well, significant ice shelves are beginning to deteriorate, notably those in the area of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Plant fossils and coal seams could only have formed if Antarctic had once been warmer (further north).

Sunlight reaches Antarctica, when the northern hemisphere is in winter. In the Antarctic summer the sun does not set. Instead, it loops around the horizon.

Antarctica is a continent where there are no permanent residents. The Antarctic is a region, which includes several islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Nor do these islands have any permanent residents.

It is not easy to live in either.

First of all banned is spelt wrong in the question.

Smoking is banned in Antarctica because to get water you need to melt up the ice and if a fire starts from the cigarette it will be very hard to put the fire out and it will take a lot of time.

The coastal areas or anywhere else somewhat shallow.

no, its a separate continent and country on its own.

About the same time as the rest of the world. Antarctica was previously a part of the super-continent Gondwanaland which also included Africa, Australasia, India and South America before it broke up.

All the fresh water in Antarctica is frozen. The ice sheet that covers 98% of the continent contains about 70% of the earth's store of fresh water. As well, it contains about 90% of the earth's store of ice.

The water temperature in the Southern Ocean that surrounds the Antarctic continent varies down to about 28 degrees F, because of the minerals contained in the water. Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees F. The high water temperature in this ocean can reach 50 degrees F.

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Antarctica is located at the bottom of the earth but the northpole is at the top of the earth

The "Transantarctic Mountains" divide east and west Antarctica. The mountain range probably got that name because it spans the continent.

the continent lay over the south pole without freezing over for almost 100 million years. Then, about 34 million years ago, a dramatic shift in climate happened at the boundary between the Eocene and Oligocene epochs. The warm greenhouse climate, stable since the extinction of the dinosaurs, became dramatically colder, creating an "ice-house" at the poles that has continued to the present day.

Picture the Earth and the sun. The sun's rays go straight through space. The first thing the rays of the sun touch is the equator. The last things the rays hit are the north and south pole. The above accounts partly for the low temperatures in Antarctica, but it is the earth's tilt that is responsible for the long nights.

During summer, Antarctica actually has a lot of daylight hours as the sun never sets. This is caused by the same reason in reverse that results in the long winter nights. If the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, as happens during winter, the latitude of Antarctica is so high that the sun never rises for a number of weeks or months. When it is tilted toward the sun, it does not experience a sunset for a time.

Antarctica has no 'income', no economy, no permanent population,, government or gross national product. Antarctica is a continent dedicated to science. All temporary workers there are supported by governments representing 80% of the earth's population.

Scientists interested in answering questions about the health of planet earth offer examples of 'valid occupations' on Antarctica. For each funded scientist, there are about seven people who support science. These occupations include those involved with science, food, human health, logistics, administration and so forth.

No. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by the Southern Ocean, the extent of which is poorly defined insofar as its join with the Pacific Ocean.

Modern issues include ozone loss (which is recovering) as well as environmental changes which are impacting flora and fauna. Plant and animal life only exist on the coast, where temperatures have been rising as a result of global warming in both the ocean and the atmosphere as well as increasing ocean acidity. This has led to some concern, particularly to the population of many species of penguin, which have been decreasing in numbers.