Class 12 English — Chapter 3: Journey to the end of the Earth

What you'll learn

• ▸Gondwana and Geological History
• ▸Antarctica's Unique Environment
• ▸Human Impact and Climate Change
• ▸Antarctica as a Record of Earth's Past
• ▸The 'Students on Ice' Programme
• ▸The Antarctic Ecosystem and the Role of Phytoplankton
• ▸The Interconnectedness of Nature

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 12075CH03 3 Journey to the end of the Earth Tishani Doshi Before you read If you want to know more about the planet's past, present and future, the Antarctica is the place to go to. Bon Voyage! EARLY this year, I found myself aboard a Russian research vessel — the Akademik Shokalskiy — heading towards the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world: Antarctica. My journey began 13.09 degrees north of the Equator in Madras, and involved crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water, and at least as many ecospheres. By the time I actually set foot on the Antarctic continent I had been travelling over 100 hours in combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship; so, my first emotion on facing Antarctica's expansive white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon was relief, followed up with an immediate and profound wonder. Wonder at its immensity, its isolation, but mainly at how there could ever have been a time when India and Antarctica were par…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain continental drift simply. Get Solution →
2. Show me images of Antarctica. Get Solution →
3. Discuss current global warming impacts. Get Solution →
4. What is the name of the Russian research vessel the author traveled on? Get Solution →
5. Where did the author's journey to Antarctica begin? Get Solution →
6. What was the name of the giant southern supercontinent that existed 650 million years ago? Get Solution →
7. What percentage of the Earth's total ice volume is stored in Antarctica? Get Solution →
8. For how long have human civilizations been around, according to the text? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Antarctica holds 90 percent of the Earth's total ice volume.
• 💡 All Earth's continents were once a single supercontinent called Gondwana.
• 💡 Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth because it receives very little precipitation.
• 💡 The oldest ice discovered in Antarctica is over 800,000 years old.
• 💡 Earth's continents drift apart at roughly the same speed as fingernails grow.

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