South Pole

The South Pole is a special place.

It sits on the land of Antarctica. It is very cold there.

The ground is made of thick ice. This ice moves very slowly. Because the ice moves, people must move the pole marker each year.

A station stays there to help people study the ice. It is a very windy and icy place. It is a wonder to see.

The South Pole is a special place on Earth.

It sits on the continent of Antarctica. It is the southernmost point on our planet. At the South Pole, every direction you look is North.

The ground is a flat, icy plateau. It is very windy and bare. A thick sheet of ice covers the land. This ice moves slowly every year. Because of this, people must move the pole marker each year.

There is a station there too. It is called the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. It was built in 1956. People have lived there since then to study the world.

The weather is very extreme. In the winter, it is dark for months. You only see the moon. In the summer, the sun never sets. It stays above the sky all day and night. It is one of the coldest places on Earth.

The South Pole is a very special place on our planet.

It is the southernmost point on Earth. This spot sits on the continent of Antarctica. It is located at the center of the Southern Hemisphere. At this exact point, the Earth's axis of rotation meets the surface. Because of this, every single direction you look is North. This makes the South Pole different from any other place. It is also called the Geographic South Pole to distinguish it from the magnetic pole.

Visiting the South Pole would feel very strange. The ground is a flat, icy, and windswept plateau. It is a long way from the nearest open sea.

The area is covered by a huge, thick ice sheet. This ice is actually moving slowly toward the Weddell Sea. Because the ice moves, the marker for the pole must be moved every year. People also have to deal with snow that never melts. This snow can slowly bury buildings over time.

Humans have a long history of exploring this frozen land. In 1911, Roald Amundsen and his Norwegian party were the first to reach the pole.

They arrived on 14 December 1911 and named their camp Polheim. Robert Falcon Scott and his team arrived a bit later in January 1912.

Many other explorers tried to reach the area before them. Some people even flew over the pole for the first time in 1929. In 1956, the first aircraft landed there during Operation Deep Freeze II.

Today, people live and work at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.

This station has been permanently staffed since it was established in 1956. There is also a Ceremonial South Pole nearby.

This area has many flags and a special post for photos. The actual geographic pole is marked by a stake in the ice. Each year on New Year's Day, staff move the marker to keep up with the moving ice. They even make a new marker stake every single year.

The weather at the South Pole is very extreme. It is one of the coldest places on Earth.

During the winter, from May to August, it is completely dark. You can only see the light from the moon. In the summer, the Sun stays above the horizon all day and night. It never sets during these months. The Sun stays low in the sky because of how the Earth tilts. This creates a very unique way of living with light and dark.

The Geographic South Pole is a unique location on Earth.

It is the southernmost point on the planet. This point sits in the Southern Hemisphere on the continent of Antarctica. It marks where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the surface. Scientists call this the True South Pole. This name helps distinguish it from the south magnetic pole. Because it is the axis, all lines of longitude converge here. This means the longitude at the pole is geometrically undefined. At this exact spot, every direction you look is North.

The geography of the pole is quite extreme. It sits on a featureless and barren icy plateau. This plateau is at a very high altitude above sea level. The area is a long way from the nearest open sea. The nearest sea is the Bay of Whales. The entire region is covered by a massive ice sheet. This ice is estimated to be very thick. Because of this thickness, the actual land surface is near sea level. The environment is windswept and very cold. It is one of the coldest climates on Earth.

The environment is constantly shifting due to the ice. The polar ice sheet moves at a steady rate. It moves toward the Weddell Sea. The movement is between 37 and 40 degrees west of grid north. This movement causes the geographic pole to shift position. Because of this, the marker must be moved every year. Staff members reposition the marker during a ceremony on New Year's Day. They also have to deal with accumulating snow. The snow does not melt at the pole. This means buildings can slowly become buried by snow over time.

Humans have a long history of exploring this frozen land. Several expeditions sighted Antarctica in 1820. In 1839, Charles Wilkes correctly identified it as a continent. Later, James Clark Ross tried to sail to the pole but failed. The race to the pole was a famous event. Roald Amundsen and his Norwegian party arrived first on 14 December 1911.

They named their camp Polheim. Robert Falcon Scott and his team reached the pole 34 days later.

Unfortunately, Scott and his companions died on their return trip. In 1929, Richard Evelyn Byrd became the first person to fly over the pole.

Modern activity at the pole is centered around research. The United States Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is located there.

It was established in 1956 during the International Geophysical Year. The station has been permanently staffed since that year.

The station helps scientists study the Earth and space. There is also a Ceremonial South Pole nearby.

This area is used for photos and features many flags. It includes a metallic sphere on a short barber pole. It is located just a few meters from the actual geographic pole.

The light and weather at the pole follow a strange pattern. The seasons create very long periods of light or dark. During the winter from May to August, there is no sunlight. The pole is completely dark except for moonlight.

During the summer from October to February, the sun never sets. It stays above the horizon continuously. The sun appears to move from right to left. It stays low in the sky because of the Earth's 23.5 degree tilt. Much of the sunlight reflects off the white snow.

Many people have achieved incredible feats at the South Pole. In 1969, the first group of women reached the pole. In 1989, Arved Fuchs and Reinhold Messner traversed Antarctica via the pole. They used only skis and the wind for help. They did not use any animals or motors. Other explorers have set records for speed. In 2024, Vincent Colliard set a record for the fastest journey from the ocean. He reached the pole in about 22 days. These journeys show how much humans want to understand this remote place.