The Polar Regions

The polar regions include two large areas of the Earth. The

first is known as the Arctic and is at the north end of the

Earth. The second is the continent of Antarctica and it

covers the south end of the Earth. These regions are cold

because they are on each end of the Earth and don’t get

direct sunlight. Each region has many special features.

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The Arctic

The northern polar region is called the Arctic.

The Arctic is a huge ocean surrounded by

land. Most of the ocean is frozen, but there

are areas where the Inuit people live. The

Arctic fringe is tundra covered with low grassy

plains.

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Polar Bears

Polar Bears are known as the “King of the Arctic.”

These huge animals have very interesting structures

which allow it to live in the frozen desert. Polar bears

have small ears. This helps prevent their ears from

freezing. They also lack eyelashes for the same

reason. Their sharp teeth allow them to pull meat

from animals such as seals for food. Although polar

bears look white each individual hair on a polar bear

is hollow and clear. This insulates the bear against

the frigid Arctic waters. Its webbed feet help the polar

bear during the times it spends in the water. The

pads on it’s feet are rough and help prevent the bears

from slipping on the ice when they are walking.

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Antarctica

The southern polar region is called Antarctica.

This ice-covered continent is larger than the

United States and is surrounded by ice and

water. It contains a 16,000 foot mountain.

Even in the summer, it rarely gets above

freezing. It is such a cold and hard place to

live that people don’t permanently live in

Antarctica. However, scientists have research

stations in Antarctica. These are places where

they live temporarily while they study the

unique features of this magnificent land. An

international treaty allows scientists of many

nations to live together.

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Penguins

Although penguins live in other places (South

of the Equator), they are a well known bird of

Antarctica. There are about seventeen

different species of penguins. Some of these

species live in Antarctica. Like polar bears,

penguins also have special structures that

allow them to live in such a unique place such

as Antarctica. Penguins are birds that lay

eggs. They have webbed feet that help them

be better swimmers in the water. Their flippers

help them glide along in the water and also

help them steer. Their short stubby tails act as

a rudder in the water.

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Water

Water is a big part of Antarctica and the Arctic.

Water has some very fascinating properties.

One interesting property we learned about is

surface tension. Water can be in three different

states. The states they can be in are solid,

liquid, and vapor. As a solid, water is known as

ice. As a vapor, water is known as steam or

condensation. The water cycle is an ongoing

cycle. The stages of the water cycle are:

accumulation, evaporation, condensation, and

precipitation. The water cycle is possible

because of the sun. The sun can be thought of

as the motor of the water cycle.

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