Out of the seven continents, Antarctica has the coldest climate conditions and is the only one that remains largely uninhabited. It was discovered as late as the early 19th century. Several countries have sent their expeditions to the continent but people have found it extremely difficult to adapt to its hostile surroundings. It is located in the Southern Hemisphere in close proximity to the South Pole and nearly the whole area remains covered with ice and snow throughout the year.
The weather conditions here are unforgiving and extremely harsh and are considered to be unfit for human survival. The winds are extremely strong usually blowing at a very high velocity. Apart from the severity of the weather, its whimsical nature has laid a challenging task in front of the weather observation centers. The temperature in winter drops down to -70 degree Celsius but even the summers do not provide any respite, with the average temperatures falling as low as -30 degree Celsius to -40 degree Celsius. The weather here changes in a matter of a few minutes and is totally unpredictable. The continent is enclosed by oceans all around. The coastal areas experience relatively lower temperatures as compared to the heart of the continent.
During the greater part of the winter season, the central part of the continent is plunged into darkness while in the summer season it receives uninterrupted sunlight. It has even been called a desert by some scientists on account of the very little rainfall it receives.
The katabatic winds system (the winds which flow from the core area to the periphery) is exclusive to this continent and can be quite ferocious. Their speed can go up to 200mph. Blizzards have also been a common phenomenon here reducing visibility to a great extent. It is considered to be a breeding ground of glaciers. The Lambert Glacier which is named as the largest glacier in the world is also found here.
Antarctica sees very little rainfall and the South Pole doesn't get any. Eastern Antarctica is at a higher elevation than western Antarctica hence it is colder. This continent experiences long periods of constant darkness and long periods of constant sunlight. Given such harsh climatic conditions it is no wonder that not many living creatures inhabit this continent.
Unique optical phenomena like the southern lights or aurora australis, diamond dust and sundog can be observed on this continent.