- Although the continent is primarily covered by a thick sheet of ice, Antarctica is actually classified as a desert due to the limited amount of moisture which falls from the sky
- Both Chile and Argentina have small permanent settlements in Antarctica complete with school, gym, and even a scout troop
- Average ice thickness in west Antarctica is 4,285 feet, but in the east it averages 7,300 feet
- The annual ice loss from the Antarctica peninsula is now around 60 cubic km — roughly the yearly domestic water supply of the UK
- The U.S. accounts for 30% of the tourists who visit Antarctica, with China a distant second
- Human activity in the Antarctic region began as far back as the 1700s, when early explorers hunted several species of seals
