Is Antarctica a desert or tundra?

Antarctica is neither a desert or a tundra. A desert is a region of land with a warm climate and sparse vegetation with little or no habitation. Desert receives little or no rain.

Tundra refers to a region of land with a treeless Arctic region in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. Tundra is a low temperate region.

However, Antarctica has very low temperatures for over eight months in a year. The climate in Antarctica is not conducive for living all year round.

Antarctica is mostly filled with glaciers and thick ice. People only visit is summer for short vacations, and in winter, only a few scientists remain on the continent.

Antarctica is considered a desert and not tundra. Antarctica is actually the driest continent on earth, and of which, a good larger part of it is a desert. The continent does not have much rain or snowfall on it, but it is a very cold place, and thus, the little amount of precipitation that might have fallen on it does not really melt.

Its annual precipitation might not be more than 51mm, considering the interior. Antarctica is the most isolated place in the whole world, and it is very cool, with a high amount and speed of wind blowing.

The continent has its face covered by an ice sheet, which seems permanent, and contains about 90% of the freshwater of the earth's water body. This ice sheet is formed due to the freezing ocean that surrounds the continent. Hence, the Antarctica continent is a wet or cold desert and not really tundra.

Antarctica is neither a desert - which is sandy terrain with little or no vegetation, and typical of extremely hot regions - nor is is tundra, which is not heavy with vegetation and enjoys (or suffers) only light rainfall and short seasons. Tundra has low temperatures so the tree growth is stunted, small bushes are typical of this reason.

However, Antarctica has extremely low temperatures for a large proportion of the year and is characterised by thick ice, glaciers and is a region no-one lives in. There are only tourists, whose visit is short, and scientists who are there to carry out experiments. No towns, shops or transport.