Let's start with the ice. Look at how much there is. Antarctica is a continent. A huge sheet of ice covers it. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest single mass of ice on Earth. A glacier is a slow-moving river of ice.

As of November 2026, the Antarctic Ice Sheet covers almost 14 million square kilometers. That is about as big as the lower 48 states and Mexico together. It is a big place. Antarctica is very cold and dry. It has no native people.

Now let's go north. The Arctic is around the North Pole. It is at the top of the Earth. Narwhals live in the Arctic Ocean. A male narwhal has a long, spiral tusk. Seals keep warm in cold water. They have a thick layer of fat called blubber.

Now let's meet a big animal. Polar bears live in the Arctic. They eat seals. They are strong swimmers. They paddle with their large front paws. A mother bear digs a den in the snow. She has her cubs there in winter.

Now let's go south. Emperor penguins are birds that cannot fly. They live in Antarctica. They are the largest penguins. They huddle together to keep warm. Polar bears do not live in Antarctica. Penguins do not live in the Arctic.

Words to know

• blubber: thick body fat
• glacier: river of ice
• narwhal: tusk whale
• continent: huge land