Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm (8 in) along the coast and far less inland.

Apr 25, 2017 · Vast expanses of lifeless, brutally cold, Antarctic Desert. 5. Description. When speaking of deserts, we tend to imagine a landscape covered with vast stretches of golden sands, a scorching sun shining in the sky above, and a complete absence of the life-saving compound known as water.

6 days ago · Antarctica's cold desert climate supports only cold-tolerant land plant and plantlike organisms; these species must also be capable of surviving lengthy winter periods of total or near-total darkness during which photosynthesis cannot take place.

Apr 13, 2024 · Despite its freezing temperatures, Antarctica is a desert because it receives very little rain or snow. Deserts are defined as landscapes where little precipitation occurs. While there are no...

Jan 29, 2025 · Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, nearly twice the size of the Sahara Desert. As discussed above, it qualifies as a desert due to its extremely low annual precipitation, despite its icy conditions, making it the driest and most expansive desert on Earth.

Aug 9, 2023 · Antarctica is considered a desert because it receives very little rain or snowfall. The small amount of snow that does fall does not melt but builds up over hundreds and thousands of years to form large, thick ice sheets.

Apr 25, 2017 · Is Antarctica A Desert? Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth and the coldest recorded temperature on Earth −89.2 °C was recorded at Antarctica’s Soviet Vostok Station on July 21, 1983. Besides being the coldest place on Earth, Antarctica is …

Apr 14, 2023 · Yes, believe it or not, Antarctica is a desert. Despite being the opposite of the common perception of a desert in many ways, Antarctica’s icy landscape is actually the largest desert in the world. What is a desert, exactly?

Apr 12, 2016 · The quick answer is yes, Antarctica is a desert due to its low rainfall. Rainfall (or, strictly speaking, precipitation , which includes snow, mist and fog) is the main factor in defining a desert. Because very little rain falls in Antarctica, the continent can be considered to be a desert.

Jan 12, 2024 · In point of fact, Antarctica is the driest of all continents, fully qualifying as a vast polar desert. While it’s true the Antarctic Peninsula and coastal regions see some precipitation, in some parts of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in East Antarctica it hasn’t rained or snowed for some 14 million years, so on average across the continent the ...