The average temperature is -17 °C, y the lower temperature was recorded in July 1993 at New Zealand's Vanda Station: 89.5°C -world's lower temperature ever recorded-.

Temperatures are low not only because it is closer to the pole but also because of the average height and the lack of solar radiation. Furthermore, between 80-90% of the sunrays are reflected by the ice back to space, thus preventing the warming of the polar surface.

As a consequence, the climate is harsh, with extremely low temperatures, between -20º and -40ºC, that has reached a minimum of -89.5ºC. Antarctica experiences almost continuous sunlight during the summer, in which the sun does not set, and almost continuous darkness in winter.

This happens because the Earth's axis of rotation is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. During the summer the Antarctic continent has an area of 14 million square kilometres while in winter, as the surrounding sea freezes, its surface grows to 30 million square kilometres.

Due to this feature, that repeats every year, Antarctica has been dubbed 'Pulsing Continent'.