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• Antarctica lies at the bottom of the world, with the geographical South Pole lying near the centre of the continent. It is the fifth largest continent in the world. It is completely surrounded by the Southern Ocean.

• Antarctica’s ice sheet has an average thickness of 2450 m and covers an approximate area of 15.89 million km² and only about 0.5% of Antarctica is not covered by ice.

• The maximum extent of the sea ice from the coast of Antarctica is about 1200 km.

• Sea ice prohibits access to much of Antarctica by ship, except for a few months in summer. Scientific research vessels and tour ships only visit the continent between November and March.

• The overall population density of Antarctica in winter is 0.00008 per km². Europe has a population density of approximately 70 people per km².

• Activities in Antarctica are regulated by the Antarctic Treaty (1961) and its associated agreements. The Treaty ensures that the continent maintained as a continent for science.

• The Southern Ocean is rich in marine living resources, such as krill, fish, squid, seals and whales.