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You are here: Home / Geography / How Cold Does It Get In Antarctica and Why Is Antarctica Colder Than the Arctic In the North Pole?

How Cold Does It Get In Antarctica and Why Is Antarctica Colder Than the Arctic In the North Pole?

July 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

Antarctica is the coldest place on earth.

The world’s lowest recorded temperature was at Vostok Station on July 21, 1983, when the thermometer dropped to -128.6° F (-89.2° C).

Year round in Antarctica, the temperature rarely rises above freezing.

Antarctica is colder than the Arctic because the continent is more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) above sea level, and it does not have the Arctic Ocean that covers the north polar zone which transfers warmth through the icepack.

It is dark in Antarctica for six months a year.

During summer, more sunlight reaches the surface at the South Pole than at the equator because the sun is out for 24 hours each day.

Related Facts

  • How Cold Is the South Pole and Why Is It Colder At the South Pole Than At the North Pole?
  • Why Do Penguins Live in Antarctica at the South Pole and Not in the Arctic at the North Pole?
  • What Time Is It At the North Pole, Does the North Pole Have a Time Zone, and What Time Do You Want It To Be?
  • How Much Life Does the Artic Have Compared to Antarctica and Is the Arctic Barren Like Antarctica?
  • What Types of Plants and Animals Live in Antarctica?
  • Which Is Colder, the North Pole Or the South Pole?

Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Did Antarctica Get Its Name, What Does Antarctica Mean In Greek, and Is Antarctica a Country?
Next Post: What Would Happen If the Antarctic Ice Sheet Melted and How High Would the Sea Level Rise? »

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