Antarctica's Ice: Holding 90% of the World's Ice and 70% of Fresh Water

Antarctica, the fifth‑largest continent (14.2 million km²), contains about 90 % of the world's ice and 70 % of its fresh water. Ice sheets up to 4.8 km thick cover 98 % of the land, with an average thickness of 2,160 m. The continent's average elevation is nearly 2,000 m, and most of it lies south of the Antarctic Circle (66°34′ S).