Origin - It is the fifth continent and the last one to be discovered. In 1912, the German geologist, Alfred Wegener, assumed the theory that Antarctica had been part of a great land mass called Gondwana, from which it broke away some 225 million years ago, during the Permian (Paleozoic Era) geological period.

Geography - Antarctica is located in the entire area south of the 60th parallel. Its surface spans a bit more than 14,000,000km². Its diameter is close to 4,000km. It is divided into two sectors: Major Antarctica or Eastern Antarctica, the widest and oldest, and Minor Antarctica, or Western Antarctica, of recent formation characterized by its curved tail which points north like a serpent and its known as the Antarctic Peninsula. It has two seas of its own: the Weddel and Ross Seas, with their corresponding bays. More than 90% of its territory is covered by ice. It is the highest of all the continents, with an average altitude of 2,250m and peaks that frequently reach above 3,000m. It is also an important factory of winds: its system rules the climate of the entire planet, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

Climate - It has the coldest and harshest climate in the world. Average temperatures in the interior of Antarctica vary between -70° and -40°C during the cold month of August, and between -15° and -45°C in the warmer month of February. Coastal temperatures are higher, from -32° to -15°C in winter ,and between -5° and 5°C in summer months, these being the highest temperatures that are registered in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Discovery - The existence of Antarctica was surmised by the Greeks in 400 B.C, like a large mass of earth located south, opposite the one known to exist in the north. After many centuries of adventure and expeditions, the first inroads in Antarctic waters were done in 1675 by the English merchant seaman Anthony de la Roche. Other adventurers gave shape to the map of Antarctica, which now bears their names in their memory.