The South Pole is the

southernmost point on the Earth. It is the precise point of the southern intersection of the Earth'saxis and the Earth's surface. Its latitude is 90 degrees south, and all lines of longitude meet there.

The South Pole is located on Antarctica, one of the Earth's seven continents. Land at the South Pole is only about a hundred meters above sea level, the ice sheet above it is roughly 2,700 meters (9,000 feet) thick . The South Pole is close to the coldest place on Earth. The coldest temperature recorded at the South Pole, -82.8 degrees Celsius, is still warmer than the coldest temperature ever recorded, 89.2 degrees Celsius. That temperature was recorded at the Russian Vostok Research Station, about 808 miles away.

Because the Earth rotates on a tilted axis as it revolves around the sun, sunlight is experienced in extremes at the poles. In fact, the South Pole experiences only one sunrise (at the September equinox) and one sunset (at the March equinox) every year. From the South Pole, the sun is always above the horizon in the summer and below the horizon in the winter. This means the region experiences up to 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and 24 hours of darkness in the winter.

Ecosystems at the South Pole

Although the Antarctic coast is teeming with marine life, few biologists conduct research at the AmundsenScott South Pole Station. The habitat is far too harsh for most organisms to survive. In fact, the South Pole sits in the middle of the largest, coldest, driest, and windiest desert on Earth. More temperate parts of this desert support native flora such as moss and lichen, and organisms such as mites and midges. The South Pole itself has no native plant or animal life at all. Sometimes, however, seabirds such as skuas can be spotted if they are blown off-course.