1 (866) 722-0909
QUOTE REQUEST 
Antarctica
Geography
The total area of Antarctica is approximately 14 million square kilometres, making it the fourth largest continent on earth, although its exposed rock represents only 2% of its lands. In fact, the South Pole is covered with a huge sheet of ice, called Inlandsis, whose area is equivalent to 1.5 times the size of Canada. With an average altitude of approximately 2,300 metres, Antarctica is also the highest continent in the world.
The Transantarctic Mountains, stretching 3,000 kms., naturally define the Western and Eastern parts of the continent. The Eastern part of the continent, known as Oriental Antarctica, faces the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Oriental Antarctica is coated by a huge dome of ice (called Inlandsis) measuring 10 million km² in area, with its highest points rising to more than 4,000 metres above sea level. West Antarctica, on the other hand, accounts for just 20% of the continent’s total area and rises only 2,500 metres above sea level. West Antarctica is extended by the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as two major ice shelves known as Ross and Ronnes.
The average thickness of the Inlandsis varies between 1,300 metres in the West and 2,200 metres in the East. It can reach up to 5,000 metres in some places and accounts for approximately 70% of the fresh water on Earth. Its preservation is vital to the future of our civilization, given that its meltdown could result in a 60 metre rise in the surrounding oceans.
