land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe

Location: continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle

Geography: the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator; mostly uninhabitable