- Antartica is the earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographic southpole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia,Africa, North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia.Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.