Coldest Place on Earth

The Earth is full of extremities; unique places and spots. With the decreasing temperature, you must be feeling you live in a very cold region. Well, there are some other places on the Earth that are unimaginable cold and even unfit for human settlement.

The Antarctica has been recorded to be the coldest place on Earth since a long time and is still unbeatable. To be precise, Vostok, located in Antarctica, is the current coldest place in the world with the lowest temperature ever recorded. The Antarctica is a fifth-largest continent located in the southernmost tip of the Earth.

It is also known as the continent of extremes as it is the coldest and the windiest place on Earth. The Antarctica lies on about 2000 meters above the sea level, which makes it the highest continent on Earth. The Antarctica receives very little rainfall every year and hence, can be categorized as a desert. 

It is not owned by any other country in the world which makes it approachable for scientists all over the world. It has been free from human encroachment due to several reasons; the foremost being its inaccessibility. On the other hand, extremely low temperature, lack of resources, food, shelter, etc. makes it an alien land for human beings, even today.

However, due to the advancement of technologies, it is possible for scientists and researchers to explore the land and carry out research in Antarctica. As nearly 90% of the ice in the world is found in Antarctica, we find seas, mountains and lands covered with solid ice for the entire year.

Vostok in Antarctica is the coldest place on the Earth with the lowest temperature recorded as -89.2°C or -128.6°F or 183 Kelvin. It is even believed that at times, the temperature fell as low as -91°C or -131.8°F or 181 Kelvin.

However, there is no official record that proves the latter temperature readings. The average temperature recorded in summer in Vostok, Antarctica is -27.5°C or -17.5°F while the hottest or the warmest temperature recorded in summer was -19°C or -2.2°F or 254 Kelvin.

Oymyakon in Russia holds the title for being the second coldest place, and also the coldest place inhabited. This town is located in Siberia, one of the most notoriously cold areas in the world. Earlier, it was inhabited only by reindeers but in the recent years, human settlement (mostly tribal) is also found there.

The lowest temperature recorded in Oymyakon is -71°C or -96°F. Oymyakon is succeeded by Verkhoyansk, another town in the far northeastern part of Russia at -49°C or -56°F. Snag and Eureka in Canada; Prospect Creek in Alaska and the Rogers Pass in Montana are the other exceptionally cold places on the Earth.

• Vostok is located 3500 meters above sea level.
• All land forms like mountains, plateaus, reefs, valleys, plains, seas, glaciers are found in Antarctica.
• There are some interesting facts about Vostok and Antarctica in general. Antarctica was known for Ptolemy's time, but not discovered until 1820.
• Man first set foot in Antarctica in 1821.