Antarctica is the continent in the center of Antarctic Region. S=13975 thousand km2. The constant population is absent. Average heights are 2040 m, the greatest is 5140 m. More than 99 % of territory is covered with ice; free places of ice meet as oases, mountain arrays. There is a pole of a cold of the Earth (-89,2 C on the station "East"); average temperatures of the winter months are -60 - -70 C, in the summer are -30 - -50 C; at a coast in the winter are -8 - -35 C, in the summer are 0-5 C. The winds are often very powerful. There are fem, lichens, mushrooms, bacteria, and seaweed (in the oases). There are seals and penguins at the coast. Minerals are immovable coal, iron ore, mica, lead, zinc, graphite and other. Antarctica is open in January of 1820 by the Russian expedition of F. F. Bellinsgausen - M. P. Lazarev..In the beginning of the XX century Antarctica have visited by R. Scott, R. Amundsen, D. Mouson and other. In 1911 expeditions of R. Amundsen and in 1912 of R. Scott have achieved a South Pole. In connection with an International geophysical year (1957-58) and in consequent period the polar scientific stations of various countries of the world are created; 48 stations in 1991.
The initial stage is discovery of the islands round Antarctica and the searches of a continent (XVI century and the beginning of the XIX century).
Long before discovery of the continent the various suppositions about existence of hypothetical Southern ground were under construction. There were a lot of expeditions which founding the large islands round Antarctica. The French expedition by Buve de Loze in 1739 has opened in a southern part of the Atlantic Ocean an island called Buve. In 1772 French seafarers I. J. Kergelen has detected large archipelago in a southern part of Indian Ocean consisting from one large island (Kergelen) and 300 small-sized.
In 1768-71 Dj. Kook has headed the expedition, which was directed on searches of the southern continent. By inspecting New Zealand, the expedition has opened a strait between it by Northern and Southern islands (afterwards called by the name Kook) and has placed, that New Zealand represents not a ledge of the southern continent, as considered earlier, and archipelago from two islands. In 1772-75 Kook on the second expedition devoted to the searches of the southern continent, first from the seafarers has crossed a Southern polar circle, however continent he has not detected and has declared, that it generally cannot be found because the ice doing the ground inaccessible. During this float in the south of the Atlantic Ocean he approached to an island sv. Georgia, has opened Southern Sandwich of an island, is erroneous supposing, that it is a ledge of a continental land and consequently by naming their Earth Sandwich (on the name of the first lord of Admiralty). Group of islands at northwest coast of the Antarctic Peninsula has opened in 1819 by an Englishmen W. Smith.
The second stage is discovery of Antarctica and the first scientific researches (XIX century).
The discovery of Antarctica as the continent is carried out by January 28 of 1820 by Russian expedition of F. F. Bellinsgausen, which on two courts "East" and "Peace" has passed along the coast, by opening islands Petr I, Schischkova, Mordvinova, the Earth of Alexander I and by updating coordinates some before detected islands. Bellinsgausen crossed a Southern polar circle six times, by provoking a possibility of float in the Antarctic waters.
In 1820-21 of the American and English trade court came nearer to the Antarctic Peninsula. In 1831-33 round Antarctica the English seafarer Dj. Bisque has made float on courts "Tulle" and "Lively". J. Dumon-Durvil in 1837-40 supervised over the expedition to southern polar breadths, during which were detected the Earth of an Adele, island Juanvil and the Earth of Louie Philip. In 1838-42 Ch. Wilks headed the complex expedition to a southern part of the Pacific Ocean, during which the part of the coast of East Antarctica the Earth of Wilks was open. Dj. Ross, departing in Antarctica in 1840-43 on courts "Erebus" and "Terror", has opened the sea and the huge ice barrier of height near 50 m, lasting west-to-east on a distance of 600 km called after his name, the Earth of Victoria, the volcanoes Erebus and Terror.
The floats to Antarctica after a long interruption were reinstated in the XIX century. At shores of ice continent have visited the expeditions: Scottish, opened the ground of Oscar II (on a vessel "Baleen", 1893), Norwegian, detecting a shore Larcener (court "Iazon" and "Antarctic Region", 1893-94), and Belgium (under a management by A. Jerlasch), which was in 1897-99 in Antarctic Region on a drifting vessel "Beljika".
The third stage is the study of the coast and the internal areas of the continent (first half of the XX century).
First in our century traveling in Antarctica has made R. Scott, which in 1901-04 on a vessel "Discovery" has approached to shores of the continent, investigated the coast of the sea Rosa, has opened peninsula of Edward VII. In 1902 E. Drigalckey has opened and inspected the territory called as the Earth of Wilgelm II. He has developed the theory of moving ice. The Scottish seafarer and the doctor W. Brews in 1892-93 and 1902-04 conducted research in the sea Wdella, has opened the Earth of Kotsa.
The English traveler E. Scheklton in 1907-09 has headed expedition on a sledge to a South Pole, on a path opened one from the largest glaciers on a planet - glacier Birdmor. But Scheklton has turned back, because he has loss animals. By first the Norwegian polar traveler and contributor R. Amundsen have reached a South Pole which in January 1911 has landed on an ice barrier Rosa. The month later (January 18 1912) the group headed R. Scott has reached the poles. On a converse of a path in 18 km from base camp Scott and his companions have perished. Their bodies and diaries were found after eight months.
There were expeditions: in 1911-14 and 1929-31 by the Australian geologist and traveler D. Mouson, inspecting a part of coast of the continent and plotting on a map more than 200 geographical objects (including the Earth of the Queen Mary, the Earth of Elizaveta and the Earth of Mack-Robertson) has realized.
American polar contributors made the first flight of the airplane above Antarctica in 1928, by the admiral and pilot R. Beard. In November 1929 he has reached a South Pole. In 1928-47 under his management four large expeditions to Antarctic Region were carried out. Beard has flown above the continent about 180 thousand km.
In 1933-37 L. Christens, following along the coasts on a vessel "Torcxavn", has opened a Shore of Garald, the Shore of Leopold and Astrid. D. Rimilla in 1934-37 has crossed the Antarctic Peninsula for the first time. In 1940-50 in Antarctica begin to form scientific basses and stations for realization of regular researches of the coastal regions.
The fourth stage is the international systematic researches (the second half of the XX century).
During the preparation to an International geophysical year on the coast, about 60 basses and stations were based. From an extremity 50-th in the seas washing the continent, are conducted a lot of works, the regular geophysical researches on stationary continental stations are executed; the expeditions inside of the continent are undertaken also. The American contributors have passed on cross-country vehicles from the station Little America to the station Beard and further to the station Sentinel (1957), in 1958 - 59 from the station Elsuort through an array Dufeka to the station Beard; the English and New Zealand scientists on tractors in 1957-58 have crossed Antarctica through a South Pole from the sea Wdella to the sea Rosa. In the internal regions of the Antarctica the Australian, Belgium and French scientists worked also. In 1959 the international agreement for Antarctica promoting development of cooperation in a research of ice continent is made.
