It is safe to say that there is much in common between the Arctic and the Antarctic. In both territories, there is a harsh climate, endless ice expanses, snow and icebergs, which is why the Arctic and Antarctic are shown on the map in white. They are also widely used for research and weather observations.
But they have a major difference that will allow them to never confuse the two territories, even those who poorly taught geography at school.
Antarctica is the south pole, and the Arctic is the north pole of the Earth.
After a small comparative analysis, we’ll try to figure out how the Arctic differs from Antarctica and present the data in our short article.
1
Name
The word Arctic comes from the ancient Greek language, and literally means “she-bear”. The name is associated with the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, located in the Northern Hemisphere. It was very important for people of antiquity to find the North Star for orientation to the cardinal points, and this star is part of the constellation Ursa Minor.
But the word Antarctica appeared in everyday life at the beginning of the twentieth century, and literally means “Anti Arctic”, that is, a part of the land opposite to the Arctic.
2
Opening
In the photo: Robert Peary
The first to submit to the North Pole were members of an international expedition led by American Robert Peary. In April 1909, they achieved their goal, and Peary was officially recognized as the person who was the first on the planet to reach the northernmost tip of the Earth.
In the photo: Discoverers of Antarctica
But in 1820, Antarctica was opened by a Russian expedition, commanded by two illustrious Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.
3
Sizes and territories
Often, Antarctica is understood as Antarctica, implying that these are synonymous words. In fact, this is not so. Antarctica includes the southern polar part of the planet, bounded by the warm waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Antarctica is the mainland, and the waters of the oceans and islands located next to Antarctica also enter the southern polar region of the planet. The total area, thus, is 52 million km². In the picture above you can clearly see how large the Antarctic area is.
The Arctic is an accumulation of ice in the Arctic Ocean, and its borders are drawn along the Arctic Circle. Thus, the total area of the northern polar region of the planet is 21 million km².
4
Climate
The Antarctic and Arctic climatic zones are almost similar, so the sun's rays are reflected from the surface, almost at an angle of 180 °, which is why it is very cold in both places and there is low humidity.
But, at the North Pole of the Earth, the climate is milder, and the average temperature in the Arctic is −14 −28.2 ° C, but the average temperature in Antarctica in winter ranges from −60 to −70 ° C, but in the summer it’s slightly, but warmer from −25 to −45 ° C.
5
Limit values of heat and cold
The maximum minimum in the Arctic was −68 ° C, while in the Antarctic the thermometer fell to record levels of −89 ° C. But the warmest day in the Antarctic was recorded at the Vostok Antarctic station on December 16, 1957. On this day, the thermometer showed −13.6 ° C. As for the Arctic, the thermometer sometimes rises to +1.4 ° C.
Antarctica is the highest continent on the planet. Why is it colder here than at the North Pole? But the fact is that most of Antarctica is located at an altitude of 3 km above sea level, and, as is known from physics, the higher the colder.
6
Status
In the photo: (above) As the Arctic is now divided. (bottom) Territorial claims of Russia to the Arctic
The water area of the Arctic is divided between the countries adjacent to it, but Antarctica is a free territory on which weapons of any kind are even prohibited.
In fact, if you take into account this clause of the international treaty, every person on earth can freely move around the territory of Antarctica. But only harsh conditions do not allow this to be done, and the heritage of all Mankind is used only for scientific research purposes.
7
Population
More than 4 million people live in the Arctic Circle, but there is no permanent population in the Antarctic. People work only at temporary polar stations, and the number ranges from 1.5 to 4 thousand people.
It is interesting that 127 ethnic groups live in the Arctic Circle of Russia, but 70% of them consider and call themselves Russian.
Antarctica has 89 stations belonging to more than 30 states. But not many of them operate constantly, and most have long been mothballed.
8
Stations
Due to the fact that the ice of the Arctic is constantly drifting, it is quite difficult to equip permanent stations at the North Pole. But in Antarctica there are plenty of such stations.
Antarctica has 89 stations belonging to more than 30 states. But not many of them operate constantly, and most have long been mothballed.
Russia has 5 permanent bases on the southern continent. The closest to the Russian Novolazarevskaya station is the Maitri station, owned by India. Translated, the name means "Friendship", which in severe polar conditions is important.
9
Animal world
Penguins live in Antarctica, but polar bears live in the North Pole. So, if you see penguins on the background of white ice, you know, this is Antarctica. But when polar bears show off on the ice - this is the Arctic.
The fauna of the Antarctic is much richer and more diverse than the fauna of the Arctic. Many species of mammals, birds live among the ice of Antarctica, and fur seals, seals, killer whales and whales are found in coastal waters.
In the Arctic, in addition to the polar bear, walruses, Arctic foxes, wolves and such amazing species of animals as the Arctic hare and the Greenland seal live.
10
Hunting
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the international community adopted one important law prohibiting hunting in Antarctica. Also, it is forbidden to conduct any economic activity, and use only for scientific purposes.
In the Arctic, hunting is permitted, and hunting since ancient times was the only means for the survival of the peoples of the Far North. In the modern world, hunting at the North Pole is a source of valuable species of fish and meat.
11
Ice
There is much more ice in the Antarctic than in the Arctic. It should be noted that approximately 80% of all fresh water reserves on planet Earth are concentrated on the territory of the South Pole.
An interesting and slightly frightening fact, if the ice of the Antarctic melts, the sea level will rise by 60 m, flooding most of the coastal territories, and some islands and countries will go under water, like the legendary Atlantis.
On our site TheBiggest.ru there is an interesting article about the largest icebergs in history, we highly recommend reading it.
12
Cardinal points
If you stand at the North Pole, wherever you look, the South will be everywhere. Accordingly, being in the center of Antarctica, there will be the North in all directions from the observer.
13
Mainland and ocean
We conclude the article with such a funny comparison. The Arctic is a part of the ocean covered with ice and surrounded by land, and Antarctica is a part of land covered with ice and surrounded by the ocean.
Both zones are of great importance in regulating the climate on Earth, therefore they require a careful attitude. Active human intervention in the natural life of the two poles can lead to irreversible processes, and lead to disastrous consequences.
So we did a small comparative analysis of the Antarctic and the Arctic, and found out how these amazing and somewhat mysterious territories differ from each other. Now it is unlikely that any of our readers will confuse the names of the two extremities of the globe, and can tell with confidence what the difference is between the Arctic and the Antarctic, and most importantly, easily show on a map or globe where the Antarctic is and where the Arctic is.
Article author: Valery Skiba