Did you know...

• A walrus has a clear eyelid. This allows it to see, and protect its eye, while swimming underwater.
• The Polar Regions got their names from the ancient Greeks. The Arctic was named for the Great Bear, Arctus, in the northern sky. Antarctic is the opposite of Arctic and means "no bear."
• The South Pole is a desert. Sure, there is a lot of snow and ice there. But it's built up over many years. It averages about the same amount of precipitation a month as the Sahara Desert.
• At the North and South Pole there is only one day and one night a year - each lasts six months!
• NOAA has placed Web Cams at the North Pole. The cameras are powered by the sun and show weather conditions. You can see current and past photos at http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html.
• During summer, more sunlight reaches the surface at the South Pole than at the Equator during the same amount of time.
• The coldest day ever recorded on Earth was at the South Pole: -89 degrees Celsius (-129 degrees Fahrenheit) in July 1983.
• The South Pole is colder than the North Pole. A lot colder. This is mainly because the South Pole is land that is covered with several hundred feet of ice. The North Pole is a frozen ocean. But it's only about 10 feet of ice. And that thin layer of ice is floating on top of warmer seawater.
• The first people to reach the South Pole were four Norwegians led by Roald Amundsen in 1911. The first two women crossed Antarctica on foot in 1999.
• Antarctica is huge! It's 1.5 times as big as the United States.
• Polar regions may be far away from where you live. But that doesn't mean they don't matter to your life. Polar Regions are important to the Earth's climate system. And some of the most exciting science research is happening at places like McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

• The Arctic is an ocean covered by a sheet of ice that's about 10 feet thick. It is surrounded by land.
• The Antarctic is a continent. Just like Europe or North America. It is covered by thousands of feet of ice and surrounded by ocean.
• The Arctic is teaming with life. People, plants and animals all live there. You probably already know of polar bears, walruses and seals. But did you also know about arctic foxes and hares, small birds called puffins, and many other animals?
• There are also many living things in the Antarctic, some of which cannot be found in the Arctic. Like penguins -- you won't find them at the North Pole! Some animals leave the Antarctic between June and August. That's when it's the coldest. Humpback whales swim from the Antarctic to warmer waters during this time.
• There are no native people to the Antarctic. That means that everyone who lives or works there comes from another place.
• Approximately 4 million people live in the Arctic. Many of them are native. For example, the Inuit's are Arctic natives. They live in Canada and Greenland.

Things to explore about Polar Regions:

• What animals live there? Where do they live? What do they eat?
• What people live or visit there? Who are they and how do they survive? What kind of special clothing or protection do they need?
• Do plants grow there? What kind?
• Who are famous explorers that have also explored these regions? Do people explore or visit the region now in a different way than they did in the past? ... How so?
• Do you have other questions about Polar Regions?

• What do you call 500 penguins in King's College Chapel? (lost!)
• How do penguins drink? (from beakers)
• How much will a penguin pay for his dinner? (six squid)
• What do you call a happy polar bear? (You don't; you just run!)
• Why are penguins good racing drivers? (They're always in the pole position.)
• Where do penguins go to dance? (The Snow Ball)
• What did the sea say to the iceberg? (Nothing-it just waved)
• Tourist to small boy: Does it ever stop snowing in Greenland? (I don't know; I'm only 13)
• What is Father Christmas's wife called? (Mary Christmas)