Antarctica

Antarctica is the world’s southernmost continent, containing the South Pole. It is almost entirely covered by ice and is the coldest place on Earth. The first humans to see Antarctica were probably the people who lived in South America around 10,000 BC. These people may have seen the ice cap from a distance, but it is not known if they actually set foot on the continent. The first known sighting of Antarctica by a European was in January 1773, when a British explorer named James Cook spotted the ice-covered landmass from his ship. Cook was not able to land on the continent, but he did sail around it. In 1820, another British explorer, Edward Bransfield, became the first person to chart Antarctica’s coastline. The first person to set foot on Antarctica was an American seal hunter named John Davis, who landed on the continent in 1821. Since then, many other explorers have ventured to Antarctica, including the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who led a famous expedition to the South Pole in 1912. Today, Antarctica is home to scientific research stations operated by a number of countries, including the United States, Britain, and Australia. Scientists from all over the world come to Antarctica to study the continent’s unique ecosystem and its effects on the global climate.