The Arctic and Antarctica: Two Different Worlds

Literally on opposite ends of the earth, the Arctic and Antarctica are vast, icy, and cold, but beyond that they’re very different. Antarctica, in the south, is a continent surrounded by ocean; the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents. There are no native people in Antarctica (but lots of research scientists); the Arctic’s native populations stretch back for centuries. And unless you’re at a zoo, you’ll never see a polar bear and a penguin living in the same neighborhood. Polar bears live only in the Arctic; penguins live in Antarctica, and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. Some of the major differences between the two regions are listed below.