Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth. The world's record low temperature of -89.2 degrees Celsius was recorded here. The mean annual temperature of the interior is -57 degrees Celsius. The coast is warmer. Monthly means at McMurdo Station range from -28 degrees Celsius in August to -3 degrees Celsius in January. Along the Antarctic Peninsula, temperatures as high as 15 degrees Celsius have been recorded.
Some parts of the Antarctic coast are the windiest places in the world. But in spite of all that ice, the interior of Antarctica is the world's largest desert, with precipitation (if it were melted-often it's just wind-blown ice crystals) averaging under 5 centimeters of water a year.
Websites
• Poles
Describes the location and facts about the South Pole including the difference between the magnetic, geographic and geomagnetic pole.
• Ice Shelves
Facts about ice shelves.
• Antarctic Adventure 1997
Information on the geography and climate of Antarctica.
• Meteorology
A general description of the climate of Antarctica.
