• Today Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent in the world.

• The land area of Antarctica is more than 5 million square miles.

• More than 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with thick ice.

• Ninety percent of all the world’s ice can be found in Antarctica.

• In winter, the sea around Antarctica freezes and the continent becomes much bigger.

• Much of the land is unreachable by humans in winter.

• Mount Erebus is the most active volcano in Antarctica, with daily eruptions.

• Mount Erebus was named after Erebus, a god from Greek mythology who was the son of Chaos. Erebus was the god of darkness, and Antarctica is in darkness for much of the year.

• The continent of Antarctica was first seen by humans less than 200 years ago.

• In the twentieth century, more than forty permanent stations were built in Antarctica by people from many countries.

• For over fifty years, the United States has had a full-time research site called McMurdo Station.