Employer of Record in Antarctica

Antarctica is the planet's southern continent. The geographic South Pole is located nearly completely south of the Antarctic Circle and is bordered by the Southern Ocean. Antarctica is the world's fifth-largest continent, about twice the size of Australia, with a total land area of 14,200,000 square kilometers (5,500,000 sq mi). The majority of Antarctica is covered by ice, which has an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).

Antarctica has the highest average elevation and is the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents. It is mostly a polar desert, with yearly precipitation exceeding 200 mm (8 in) around the shore and much less inland. Antarctica has over 70% of the world's freshwater supplies, which if melted would increase global sea levels by almost 60 meters (200 ft). Antarctica has the record for the lowest observed temperature on Earth, 89.2 degrees Celsius (128.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Summer temperatures in coastal areas may exceed 10 °C (50 °F). Mites, nematodes, penguins, seals, and tardigrades are among the native animal species. Vegetation is mainly seen in the form of lichen or moss.

The Antarctic ice shelves were most likely discovered in 1820 by a Russian expedition commanded by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. French, American, and British expeditions continued to explore in the decades that followed. A Norwegian crew made the first verified landing in 1895. There were a few trips into the continent's interior in the early twentieth century. British explorers were the first to reach the magnetic South Pole in 1909, while Norwegian explorers were the first to reach the geographic South Pole in 1911.

Antarctica is administered by around 30 nations, all of which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System of 1959. Military action, mining, nuclear explosions, and nuclear waste dumping are all forbidden in Antarctica under the provisions of the treaty. The primary human activity in and around Antarctica are tourism, fishing, and research. Approximately 5,000 people live in research stations during the summer, with a dip to roughly 1,000 during the winter. Despite the continent's remoteness, human activity has a substantial influence on it via pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change.