Reference Islands (Reference Islands)
The Reference Islands (-68.2°N, -67.16667°W) is a group of rocky islands 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west-northwest of the west tip of Neny Island and 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) southeast of Millerand Island, lying in Marguerite Bay off the west coast of Graham Land. First roughly charted in 1936 by the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) under Rymill. The islands were surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1947, and so named by them because they served as a convenient reference point for survey work.
* List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
* List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
Map - Reference Islands (Reference Islands)
Map
Country - Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14200000 km2. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.