8 Things you didn't know about Antarctica

If you've made the decision to explore this ultimate cruise destination, you will no doubt have done your research and know all about the towering icebergs and abundance of wildlife. However, you may still be able to impress your cruise companions with our interesting facts about Antarctica.

1. Antarctica is a desert! True, it is a far cry from the hot, sandy desert of our imaginations but as the driest continent on earth with little or no precipitation it officially qualifies as a polar desert.

2. Millions of years ago the continent was covered in vegetation, but now the land mass is covered in ice, which at its highest point is 4km thick! The only plants that grow now are small mosses, lichens and algae.

3. Winds in Antarctica can reach up to 320kms per hour.

4. Icebergs are formed on land, over thousands of years as glaciers or ice sheets. As the ice reaches the sea it begins to float and break off to form icebergs. On this journey to the sea, the ice collects many nutrients which melt into the sea making the surrounding waters rich with plankton and consequently, with fish and sea mammals.

5. Antarctica’s ice cap contains approximately 70% of the world’s fresh water.

6. Antarctica is home to the world’s most southern active volcanoes. The equilibrium between heat supply and heat loss means that Mount Erebus’ lava lake has been continuously bubbling since at least 1972. The activity from the lake can cause splatter and lava bombs to be ejected from the crater.

7. Antarctica is home to the Blood Falls which, as its name suggests, gushes through the icy surrounds in a dramatic bright red flow. The water has an incredibly high iron and salt content. As the iron meets the air it rusts causing the water to turn red. The salt content is much higher than the ocean which means the flow of water doesn’t freeze.

8. Antarctica is the only continent without a time zone. All longitude lines meet at the South Pole which makes the area inclusive of all time zones. There are only two polar seasons – summer with constant daylight and winter where there is no sunrise.