21 ANTARCTICA 2

Roberto, standing on one of the Calderas of Deception Island,

COOL FACTS about Antarctica...

• is the fifth largest of the seven continents

• 99% of Antarctica is covered with ice, this contain about 70% of the world fresh water

• a glaciologist can easily give you to drink a glass of water coming from ice dating back to the time of Christ!!!

• snow falling at the South Pole takes about 100,000 years to flow to the coast before it drops off the end as a part of an iceberg

• is classified as a desert!!! Why? It has 50mm less precipitation than the Sahara

• holds the record for the coldest (-89 C) and the windiest (320 km/hour) place on Earth

• has no trees or bushes with vegetation limited to about 350 species of lichens, mosses and algae

• the largest land animal is an insect, a wingless midge, Belgica Antarctica, less than 1.3cm long (no mozzies at all!!!)

• Antarctica’s ice sheets melted, the world’s oceans would rise by 60 to 65 meters (and we will dive in Venice)

• no human being had set eyes on Antarctica before 1820 (was better no?)

• the first tourist ships left for Antarctica in 1960’s. (for better or worse?)

Group Picture: the passengers of our ship which totalled 65 persons.

Antarctic Dream is one of the smallest cruise lines that explores the Antarctic Peninsula. The size of the vessel offers the possibility to land up to 3 times a day and to have a more relaxed and personalized service.

The ice in every form is the soul of the Antarctic continent.

In winter Antarctica increases its size reaching a considerable surface equal to 4 times the Australian continent, while in summer it reduces its surface to half

The ice sheet, that during hundreds of years slowly flows over the continent finally reaches the water. Here it will break in spectacular, frozen water mountains. The icebergs endure many years and present sculptures, created by wind and waves.

Minke whales sighted in Danko Bay.

Right: Panorama on South Shetland islands. The area is populated with a colony of sea elephants. The ground is covered with colourful lichen, the most complex vegetation which is able to exist in Antarctica. Whale bones dot the ground, reminding us of the cruel era of whaling in Antarctica.