ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of Antarctica

Antarctica is a super cold place that is covered in ice and snow. It's located at the very bottom of the Earth, where there are no countries or people. Scientists think that Antarctica used to be connected to other continents like Africa and South America, but it broke off and drifted to its current location about 200 million years ago.

The first recorded sighting of Antarctica was by a Russian explorer, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, in 1820. However, indigenous people of the South Pacific had stories and legends of a land far to the south rooted in their tradition. In the following years, other explorers visited and studied the continent to find out more about it.

One of the most famous explorers in Antarctic history is Ernest Shackleton, who led an expedition in the early 1900s. Shackleton and his team faced lots of challenges, including extreme weather conditions and running out of supplies. However, they were able to make it back home safely and their story of survival became legendary.

In the 1950s, a group of countries signed a treaty agreeing to protect Antarctica from human activity and to only use it for peaceful scientific research. Today, there are many research stations in Antarctica, where scientists study everything from climate change to penguin populations.

Although Antarctica may not have a long human history, it is an important part of our planet and helps scientists understand more about the Earth's past and future.