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Antarctica is the continent at the extreme southern latitudes of the Earth, containing the South Pole. It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean and divided in two by the Transantarctic Mountains. On average, it is the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest of all the continents. With 98% of it covered in ice, Antarctica, at 14 million km², is the third-smallest continent (after Europe and Australia). Because there is little precipitation, the entire continent is technically a desert and is thus the largest in the world. There are no permanent human residents and only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichens, and many types of algae. The name "Antarctica" comes from the Greek ανταρκτικός (antarktikos), meaning "opposite the Arctic." Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis ("Southern Land") go back to antiquity, the first sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1821 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Antarctica is not under the political sovereignty of any nation, although seven countries maintain territorial claims, which are not recognized by other countries. Human activity on the continent is regulated by the Antarctic Treaty, which was signed in 1959 and prohibits any military activity, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. (more...) |
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==Current Selected picture==
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Jokulsarlon_lake%2C_Iceland.jpg/380px-
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Today is December 13, 2006, week number 50.
[edit] Archive of pictures
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An arcuate river delta has formed on the south-west coastline of Greenland, near Narsarsuaq.
Photo credit: Codrington, Stephen. Planet Geography 3rd Edition (2005) Chapter 8
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Lipa Noi Beach on Ko Samui, Thailand, shortly after sunset. The islands of the Ang Thong Marine National Park (Mu Koh Angthong) are visible at the horizon.
Image credit: Manfred Werner.
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Lipa Noi Beach on Ko Samui, Thailand, shortly after sunset. The islands of the Ang Thong Marine National Park (Mu Koh Angthong) are visible at the horizon.
Image credit: Manfred Werner.
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[edit] July 2006
[edit] Featured geography picture
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Lipa Noi Beach on Ko Samui, Thailand, shortly after sunset. The islands of the Ang Thong Marine National Park (Mu Koh Angthong) are visible at the horizon.
Image credit: Manfred Werner.
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Satellite image of crops growing in Kansas. Healthy, growing crops are green. Corn would be growing into leafy stalks by late June (when this photo was taken). Sorghum, which resembles corn, grows more slowly and would be much smaller and therefore, possibly paler. Wheat is a brilliant gold as harvest occurs in June. Fields of brown have been recently harvested and plowed under or lie fallow for the year. The circular crop fields are a characteristic of center pivot irrigation. The fields shown here are 800 and 1,600 meters (0.5 and 1 mile) in diameter. The image is centered near 37.4 degrees north latitude, 100.9 degrees west longitude, and covers an area of 37.2 x 38.8 km. The 'grid' in which the fields are laid out runs North-South/West-East and the dark angled line is U.S. Route 56.
Image credit: NASA.
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Termini of the glaciers in the Bhutan-Himalaya. Glacial lakes have been rapidly forming on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers in this region during the last few decades. USGS researchers have found a strong correlation between increasing temperatures and glacial retreat in this region.
Image credit: NASA.
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[edit] June 2006
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This map shows the world as was known to Han Dynasty China in 2 CE. The shaded areas show the extent of Han civilisation. I've based this on the existence of settlements under direct Han political authority or military control according to Tan Qixiang (ed.), Zhongguo lishi ditu (中国历史地图集; 1982).
Map credit: Yeu Ninje.
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[edit] May 2006
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Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and the second most populous city proper in the Philippines, with more than 1.5 million inhabitants. The city is located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on Luzon, the country's largest island.
Map credit: Seav
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[edit] April 2006
[edit] March 26, 2006
[edit] February 16, 2006
[edit] December 22, 2005
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A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. Waterfalls may also be artificial, and they are sometimes used for garden and landscape ornament. Some waterfalls form in mountain environments where erosion is rapid and stream courses may be subject to sudden and catastrophic change. In such cases, the waterfall may not be the end product of many years of water action over a region, but rather the result of relatively sudden geological processes such as thrust faults or volcanic action.
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[edit] July 13, 2005
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Some lyrics from Giant (audio would be good here)
- Just like a sleeping giant lying in the sun
- In one great hand, the Rio Grande, in the other Galveston.
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- This is Texas, Lone Star State of Texas
- This is the Giant, Land I Love.
- My mom was born in Dallas; father, in Fort Worth
- You can bet your boots I've got my roots in that good old Texas earth
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