Antarctica is the 7th continent on the planet and has been manless for thousands of years. This continent comprises ice only followed by extreme temperatures which have made it quite difficult for humans to establish settlement over here. However, a few research teams have been to Antarctica and explored this icy continent to an extent only. In terms of numbers, Antarctica is huge. Let’s find out how.
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Area of Antarctica
Antarctica is a huge continent which is about 5.4 million square miles. As far as this area is concerned, the continent is the driest among all continents despite being surrounded by water. The main reason is that there are no water supply mechanisms on this continent. Internal sources of water are very limited. Talking about 5.4 million square miles, 98% comprises land while 2% is water.
Size Comparison of Seven Continents
The seven continents are huge and Antarctica ranks at the 5th position. You would be shocked to know that Antarctica is bigger than Europe. The biggest continent we have is Asia which is 17.2 million square miles followed by Africa which is 11.7 million square miles. The USA comprises two continents. North America is 9.3 million square miles while South America is 6.8 million square miles. Antarctica has the next place at 5.4 million square miles followed by Europe and Oceania (Australia) which are 3.9 million square miles and 3.2 million square miles, respectively.
Antarctica Population 2021 to 2022
Antarctica is not a country nor is there a government system existing over here. However, several researchers live over here. Special settlements with controlled temperatures have been made over here to live without any problems as well. The total population comprises 3517 people among which the majority belongs to the USA, Argentina, and Russia which account for 2,389 people. The remaining population is from other countries such as Japan, Italy, France, Australia, and Chile.
Religious Denominations in Antarctica
Although Antarctica is not a continent where any religious preaching or proceedings occur, the population still is categorized based on the religious denominations. This could be useful in the future if people start to settle on this continent. 72% of the people in Antarctica are Christians while 23.6% believe in no religion or Atheism. 2.71% of the population over there follows Islam, 1% for Hinduism, and 0.4% are Buddhists.
Different Coastal Types Around Antarctica
The icy continent is covered by water but each of the coasts is differentiated and unique in their own manner. There are 4 different coastal types around Antarctica. The majority of it is the Ice Shelf (floating ice front) which accounts for 44% of the coastal type. The Ice Wall (resting on the ground) accounts for 38%. The Ice Stream / Outlet Glacier is 13% of the coastal types while Rock Coasts are only 4%.
