153_3_12_ gstest

On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.[1] Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.[2] There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside at the various research stations scattered across the continent throughout the year. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae.