Orca whales spy hopping near Antarctica

Orca whale also known as killer whale, you can reach more at "Boy looking through glass at an orca Whale at SeaWorld Sandiego, California"

Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km² (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile (1.6 km) in thickness.

Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89 °C (−129 °F). There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades), bacteria, fungi, plants, andprotista. Vegetation where it occurs is tundra.

Mount Erebus, an active volcano on Ross Island

Bransfield Strait from Catalunyan Saddleon Livingston Island, with the Antarctic Peninsula in the background.

The blue ice covering Lake Fryxell, in theTransantarctic Mountains, comes fromglacial meltwater from the Canada Glacierand other smaller glaciers.

The snow surface at Dome C Station is typical of most of the continent's surface.