Frances Stovall, age 9, of Greenville, Miss., for her question:
WHERE IS THE WORLD'S COLDEST REGION?
Coldest and also the most desolate region on earth is Antarctica, the continent surrounding the South Pole. Most of Antarctica's land lies buried beneath masses of ice and snow that are more than a mile thick.
The Antarctica's midwinter arrives in June and with it comes temperatures of 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit along the coast. Inland temperatures drop to minus 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer temperatures in December also average well below freezing over the continent.
The Artic region around the North Pole, on the other hand, isn't nearly as cold. In fact, except for Greenland, nine tenths of all arctic lands have no snow or ice in summer. `
Antarctica, the fifth largest continent, has an area of about 5.1 million square miles. The icecap over the land is about 7 million cubic feet of ice. This ice could cover the entire United States with a layer two miles thick.
The icecap of Antarctica contains more fresh water than all the rest of the world. Flattened by its own weight, the ice moves slowly seaward. Where glaciers move relatively rapidly, deep cracks appear.
Blowing snow often covers many of the cracks in the ice. Snow blowing over open areas carves out wavelike ridges called sastrugi.
Crossing the entire continent of Antarctica are the Transantarctic Mountains. Some of the peaks rise to 16,000 feet above sea level. Some of the mountains are covered by ice, however, and can be located only by scientific instruments.
Scientists believe that at one time Antarctica was a warm land covered with trees and plants. They have discovered fossils of this plant life, along with coal and other minerals.
The first men to reach the South Pole arrived on December 14, 1911. They were five Norwegian explorers, headed by a man named Roald Amundsen.
Compared with other continents, Antarctica has few natural resources. The icecap itself may someday become the region's most important natural resource, because the ice and snow holds a bonanza of fresh water.
There is abundant sea life in the Antarctic Ocean.
Thousands of whales and millions of seals live in the sea around Antarctica. These water mammals depend on the ocean for food and shelter, although the seals spend some time resting and sunning themselves on ice floes.
The whales of the Antarctic seas are the basis of the region's only industry. Most of the world's whaling now takes place in Antarctic waters, and the area produces more than two thirds of the total catch.
Norway and Japan lead the whaling industry, and British, Dutch and Russian whalers also operate in the Antarctic. In a typical year, over 40,000 whales are taken from the waters of the area. Strict international regulations limit the number of whales killed each year.
Penguins are perhaps the best known Antarctic animals. Millions and millions of the birds can be found.