What does Antarctica literally mean?
The name Antarctica is the romanised version of the Greek compound word ἀνταρκτική (antarktiké), feminine of ἀνταρκτικός (antarktikós), meaning “opposite to the Arctic”, “opposite to the north”.
What does Antarctic mean in Greek?
The word Antarctica comes from the Greek language, antarktikos, which means “opposite to the Arctic”.
What does Antarctica mean in Latin?
antarctic (adj.) late 14c., antartyk “opposite to the north pole” (adj.), also (with capital A-) “region around the South pole” (n.), from Old French antartique, from Medieval Latin antarcticus, from Greek antarktikos “opposite the north,” from anti- “opposite” (see anti-) + arktikos “arctic” (see arctic).
What does Artic and Antartic mean?
“Arctic” comes from the Greek arktos, “bear,” because the constellation Ursa Major, “the greater she-bear” (also known as the Big Dipper), is always visible in the northern polar sky. “Antarctic,” then, means “opposite the bear.”
Does Artic mean bear?
The word Arctic comes from the Greek word for bear, arktos. It refers to two constellations in the northern night sky: Ursa Major (Great Bear) and Ursa Minor (Little Bear), which contains Polaris, the North Star.
Who is the president of Antarctica?
Antarctica does not have a president or prime minister. The Antarctic Treaty is a decentralised system of governance, with no executive leader.
Which is the best definition of the word Antarctic?
Definition of antarctic : of or relating to the south pole or to the region near it Examples of antarctic in a Sentence The group is involved in Antarctic exploration.
What was the original name of the continent Antarctica?
Matthias Ringmann called Terra Australis the Ora antarctica (antarctic land) in 1505. The long-imagined (but undiscovered) south polar continent was originally called Terra Australis, sometimes shortened to Australia as seen in a woodcut illustration titled “Sphere of the winds”, contained in an astrological textbook published in Frankfurt in 1545.
Are there any indigenous people in the Antarctica?
Antarctica has no indigenous population. According to Māori oral history in New Zealand, Hui Te Rangiora (also known as Ūi Te Rangiora) and his crew explored Antarctic waters in the early seventh century on the vessel Te Ivi o Atea.
How many people live in a research station in Antarctica?
Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at research stations scattered across the continent. Organisms native to Antarctica include many types of algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, protista, and certain animals, such as mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades.