Contents• Geographic location• Physical characteristics and climate change• People who live and work there• Animals• Exploration• Antarctic Treaty and Madrid Protocol• How is the environment at risk?• What makes Antarctica unique? Geographic locationAntarctica is one of two continents that lie entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. 42% of Antarctica is owned by Australia, the remaining 58% is distributed across six other countries. All seven countries are party to the Antarctic Treaty, which enacts laws to prevent pollution and other negative phenomena. The area of ​​Antarctica is approximately 13,661,000 square kilometers. The closest countries to Antarctica: South America, 1,000 km away, Australia, 2,500 km away, Africa, 4,000 km away. Latitude and Longitude Latitude: 90 degrees, 05 South. Longitude: 0 degrees, 00 East Physical Features & Climate One of Antarctica's most iconic landforms is the iceberg. Icebergs form when snow falls on the continent, then mixes with pure fresh water and then breaks away from land and forms an iceberg. Antarctica is the driest and coldest continent on earth. Temperature is the number one factor because it is the most inhospitable place on earth. The temperature can reach 10 degrees Celsius on the coast, up to -60 degrees Celsius inland. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -89.2 degrees Celsius on July 21, 1983. People who live and work there Antarctica contains a useful microcosm of many of society's jobs as they operate as self-sustaining communities. Some research stations include: Mawson Station. The temperature on some days is around -21 degrees Celsius and they receive 31 km winds. Its location is in......middle of paper......reclamation and remediation of abandoned construction sites and disused landfills. In the early days of the Australian Antarctic Programme, waste management consisted of disposal in open landfills and the practice of sea ice building, which involved dumping waste onto sea ice. Frozen material from the sea would travel with the ice as it breaks up in early summer to be dispersed into the marine environment. The commitment to the Madrid Protocol provides an obligation to clean up abandoned construction sites and waste dumps as long as the cleanup process does not cause increased negative impacts or cause the removal of historic sites or monuments. Research is currently underway by Australian scientists to develop cleanup and remediation procedures that will not cause major impacts. Methods are also being developed to detect and monitor impacts, particularly in the adjacent marine environment