inèsisabella's video: Antarctica

22 April - This year is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Most of Antarctica is a polar desert, with annual precipitation of 200 mm along the coast and far less inland; there has been no rain there for almost 2 million years, yet 80% of the world freshwater reserves are stored there, enough to raise global sea levels by about 60 m if all of it were to melt. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C (or even −94.7 °C as measured from space), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants and certain animals, such as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra. Antarctica is noted as the last region on Earth in recorded history to be discovered, unseen until 1820 and remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of easily accessible resources, and isolation. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was conducted by a team of Norwegians. An expedition led by Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen from the ship Fram became the first to reach the geographic South Pole on 14 December 1911. Antarctica's buried active volcanoes weren't discovered until 2013. Antarctica is de facto a condominium, governed by parties to the Antarctic Treaty System that have consulting status. Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, and thirty-eight have signed it since then. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4000 scientists from many nations.