The White Continent
Antarctica is an ecological wonder that bewitches explorers, scientists and voyagers alike.
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| Getting to know and contemplate this yet unexplored continent has been the goal and dream of many adventurers that are not satisfied with simply imagining what it would feel like to traverse its ice caps and who have made up their minds to visit this wildlife paradise.
The Antarctic Continent keeps many hidden surprises for those who visit it. This fascinating territory contains more than 90% of the earth’s land ice, which transforms it into the largest fresh water reserve on earth. Antarctica has the singularity of being the continent of remaining hidden from man for the longest period of time, its first visitors only arrived at these virgin frozen lands only two hundred years ago. Its matchless beauty contrasts with extreme climate conditions, all of which makes it an exotic destination, truly hypnotizing for those few that reach this far away corner of the universe. Among the main species that make up marine Antarctic fauna are Whales, Elephant Seals, Weddell Seals, Adelie, Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, in addition to the variety of birds, such as Albatrosses, Petrels and Snowy Sheathbills. In this enchanting adventure not only will you have the opportunity of coming into contact with highly unique animals, but will also enjoy the awesome scenery made of glaciers, mountains and roaming icebergs |
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| It is the fifth continent and the last one to be discovered. In 1912, the German geologist, Alfred Wegener, assumed the theory that Antarctica had been part of a great land mass called Gondwana, from which it broke away some 225 million years ago, during the Permian (Palaeozoic Era) geological period. |
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 Antarctica is located in the entire area south of the 60th parallel. Its surface spans a bit more than 14,000,000 km². Its diameter is close to 4,000 km. It is divided into two sectors: Major Antarctica or Eastern Antarctica, the widest and oldest, and Minor Antarctica or Western Antarctica, a recent formation characterized by its curved tail which points north like a serpent and its known as the Antarctic Peninsula. It has two seas of its own: the Weddell and Ross Seas, with their corresponding bays. More than 90% of its territory is covered by ice. It is the highest of all the continents, with an average altitude of 2,250 m and peaks that frequently reach above 3,000 m. It is also an important factory of winds: its system rules the climate of the entire planet, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.
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| It has the coldest and harshest climate in the world. Average temperatures in the interior of Antarctica vary between -70°C and -40°C during the cold month of August, and between -15°C and -45°C in the warmer month of February. Coastal temperatures are higher, from -32°C to -15°C in winter, and between -5°C and 5°C in summer months, these being the highest temperatures that are registered in the Antarctic Peninsula. |
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 The existence of Antarctica was surmised by the Greeks in 400 B.C. like a large mass of earth located south, opposite the one known to exist in the north. After many centuries of adventure and expeditions, the first inroads in Antarctic waters were done in 1675 by the English merchant seaman Anthony de la Roche. Other adventurers gave shape to the map of Antarctica, which now bears their names in their memory.
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