A Study in Contrasts

Perhaps the most common misconception about the Arctic and Antarctic is that they are very similar. Nothing is farther from the truth. The polar regions are a study in contrasts. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by an ocean. Each region has unique wildlife that cannot be found in the other. Polar bears and walrus inhabit the North. Penguins inhabit the south. The Arctic has been continually inhabited for thousands of year. The Antarctic has never been inhabited.