Antarctica is the earth’s southernmost continent. It is the fifth-largest continent, and it is situated wholly south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Most of Antarctica is a polar desert, with an annual rainfall of about 8 inches. It is by far the coldest driest and windiest continent. Vegetation, where it occurs, is tundra. Most importantly it contains the geographic South Pole. 

Antarctica is governed by parties to the Antarctic treaty system. this treaty now signed by 38 countries prohibits military activity in mining and nuclear waste disposal. However, it supports scientific research and protects the country’s ecology. At different times of the year, between one thousand and five thousand people from many countries, reside at research stations scattered across the continent.

Antarctic krill which congregate in large schools is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean and it is an important food organism for whales, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, ice fish, penguins, albatross, and many other birds. Of these, the leopard seal is an apex predator in the Antarctic ecosystem, which migrates across the Southern Ocean in search of food.