Antarctica is roughly 14 million square km (5.4 million square miles) large, yet only 280,000 square km are ice-free. Average elevations range from 2,000 m (6,500 feet) to 4,000 m (13,120 feet). The South Pole is located in the center of Antarctica and lies opposite of the North Pole.
Antarctica was established as a continent in 1840. Previously, it had been classified as a group of islands. It was the last unexplored continent on earth. Before Western nations became interested in Antarctica, it is believed that whale and seal hunters had been the first humans there.
The South Pole is home to the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, which was established in November 1956 and has been permanently staffed since then. The station is located at an elevation of 2,835 meters (9,306 feet) on an ice sheet, which is about 2,700 meters (9,000 feet) thick at that location. The station, which is 850 nautical miles south of Antarctica's McMurdo Station, is drifting with the ice sheet at about 10 meters (33 feet) each year.
The station's name honors Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott, who reached the South Pole in 1911 and 1912, respectively. Flags of the original 12 signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty are pitched in front of the station.
Recorded temperatures near South Pole Station have varied between -13.6 C (7.52 F) and -82.8 C (-117.4 F) with an annual mean of -49 C (-56.2 F); monthly means vary from -28 C (-18.4 F) in December to -60 C (-76 F) in July. Snow accumulation is about 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) of snow per year.
According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, visits have grown from a few thousand people in 1992-93 to more than 40,000 in 2008-09. Since Antarctica is not a sovereign state, legislation is difficult. But there has been growing concern about the environmental effects of mass tourism.
