Antarctica
Antarctica
'It was an amazing, amazing place. Something about Antarctica captured me, and I wanted to go back.' Andrew Regan
The Antarctic is the coldest place in the world (lowest recorded temperature is -89.9 C). It is also the windiest place in the world (fastest recorded wind speed of 300km/h). Surprisingly, it is also technically a desert: it has less than 5cm of precipitation in a year.
The planet's southernmost landmass also contains 80% of the world's fresh water. There are places where the ice is over 10,000 feet thick, and the ice cap itself is more than 40 million years old.
The Antarctic is 48 times the size of the UK (14.4 million sq km). It is the world's only uninhabited continent.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959, which puts all territorial claims on hold - so no-one actually owns Antarctica. It has been set aside as a scientific preserve, and military activity is prohibited in the region.
Find out more about Antarctica's importance in environmental issues.