Who discovered Antarctica?

Who discovered Antarctica?

Antarctica, the Earth’s southernmost continent is also the fifth largest, as well as the coldest, driest and windiest continent. It has no permanent population. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, fur seals mosses, lichens and many types of algae. It is indeed a strange yet beautiful place.

Though the famous Captain Cook circled the continent in 1775, he did not sight land. Many sailing and whaling ships followed him, and some of them might have had a glimpse of Antarctica. However, the first confirmed sighting of the continent occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. But the continent remained largely neglected because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolated location.

Three main expeditions later explored Antarctica. The French under JCS Dumont d’Urville planted their flag on an island off the coast of Adelie Land in 1840. The Americans under Charles Wilkes discovered Wilkes land in the same year. In 1841, a Britisher, James Clark Ross, discovered Ross Island shelf.