Wanderlust World Wanderlust World A century ago, Antarctica was even colder than today. The average temperature hovered around –57 °C (–74 °F). The continent was almost entirely covered by ice sheets, with only the Antarctic Peninsula and a few islands free of permanent ice.
Historical maps from that era show a vast, frozen expanse color‑coded by temperature, with blue indicating the coldest interior regions. Since then, the average temperature has risen about 2 °C (3.6 °F), ice sheets have begun melting, and sea levels are rising—impacting coastal communities worldwide.