A vast winter wonderland for the entire year, an ice-cold desert and home to the penguin. Read on to find out more about Antarctica.
這裡是終年寒冬的仙境，冰封的荒漠，企鵝的故鄉。就讓我們一同來探索南極洲。
A closer look 說古論今
Antarctica is the world's southern- most continent. It is split by the Transantarctic mountains into Eastern and Western Antarctica. The massive ice sheep that covers the vast majority of the continent is an average of 2.5km thick. The inner portion of the continent has very little rain each year, and so despite being the coldest place on earth, it is also technically a desert!
The name Antarctica comes from the Greek for opposite to the Arctic (where the North Pole is). The continent has no native inhabitants. The first sighting of the continent was recorded in 1820, although it was thought to exist before then. Many countries have laid claims to portions of Antarctica. An Antarctic Treaty signed in 1959, while not totally settling land claims (some claims, such as The UK's, Argentina's and Chile's, still overlap), did manage to set out some ground rules for activity on the continent. Twelve countries signed the accord that guaranteed no military action, no mining for minerals (extended in 1991 until 2048) and supported protecting the continent's eco-zone and freedom of scientific research.
Around 4,000 scientists from 27 nations live at bases on Antarctica during the summer months, dropping to 1,000 during the winter. Families live at the research bases, and there are even schools for the children.
The real inhabitants of Antarctica are of course the birds, several types of penguin and seal, and the invertebrate creatures that live and breed on the land. The sea life includes blue whales and numerous fish, including the over-fished krill and Patagonian toothfish.
南極洲是世界最南端的大陸，由橫貫南極山脈分成東南極洲與西南極洲。覆蓋這塊陸塊的廣大冰層平均達二點五公里厚。南極洲內部每年雨量稀少，雖然是全球最冰冷的陸塊，定義上仍是一片荒漠！
南極洲（Antarctica）一詞起源於希臘語，為北極（Arctic）的反義詞。這個陸塊並無原住民。雖然人類老早就認為南極洲存在，至一八二○年才有首次為人發現的記錄。許多國家自行劃分南極版圖。一九五九年簽訂的南極公約並未完全解決土地紛爭（英國、阿根廷、智利仍有重疊之處），但制定了在此土地活動的法規。十二國簽署這項公約，保證無軍事活動、無採礦行為（一九九一年又延伸至二○四八年），並支持南極生態區與科學研究的自由。
夏季約有二十七國的四千位科學家駐紮在南極，冬季則降至一千人。好幾戶人家住在研究基地，甚至還設置孩童就讀的學校。
南極的真正居民想當然是鳥類、數種企鵝與海豹，也有無脊椎動物在此居住繁殖。海生動物包括藍鯨與五花八門的魚類，包括被過度捕撈的磷蝦與巴塔哥尼亞圓鱈魚。 （翻譯：賴美君）
WHO KNEW? 你知道嗎?
There are several definitions of the South Pole. The Geographic South Pole is where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. The ice sheet covering Antarctica moves approximately 10m per year, so the marker stake is moved each New Years day. The Ceremonial South Pole is at the Amunsen-Scott South Pole Station. A metal sphere sits on a plinth surrounded by the flags of the 12 signatories of the Antarctic Treaty. The South Magnetic Pole is where geomagnetic field lines follow an upward direction. Earth's magnetic field changes, and so the pole moves frequently. The Southern Pole of Inaccessibility is the point furthest away from the Southern Ocean. It is very hard to reach. The Russians reached it with the help of large vehicles in 1958. Last week, Team N2i became the second ever to get there, using a combination of kite skiing and man-hauling.
南極點有好幾項定義。地理上的南極點是地球自轉軸線與表面的交差處。每年覆蓋南極的冰層約移動十公尺，所以每年元旦都要調整南極點的位置。儀式時指的南極點是阿蒙森斯科特南極工作站。金屬地球儀的基座環繞著簽署南極公約的十二國國旗。南磁點是指地磁場線向上延伸的交會點。地球的磁場會改變，所以南磁點往往跟著移動。難抵點的位置比南極海更遠。很難前往當地。俄國人一九五八年倚賴好幾樣大型工具才抵達該點。上週Team N2i藉著風箏滑雪與人力拉曳，成為第二個抵達難抵點的隊伍。
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