The Poles: Comparing the Poles

The biggest difference is that the Arctic region is essentially a frozen ocean surrounded by continents. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by an ocean. And even though the Arctic is mostly a frozen ocean, the Arctic climate is more hospitable to human and animal life than the ice-locked Antarctic continent. See a simple comparison below:

Physical Features

Sentinel_Range_Ellsworth_Mountains_Antarctica

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Antarctica	Arctic
Antarctica has mountains and volcanoes	The Arctic is mostly ice covered ocean
The Antarctic is a continent surrounded by ocean	The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents
Maximum sea ice extent: 8 million square miles	Maximum sea ice extent: 7 million square miles
The area is 6 million square miles	The area is 5.4 million square miles
The annual mean temperature at the South Pole is -60F	The annual mean temperature at the North Pole is 0°F
Total coastline: 18,000 miles	Total coastline: 25,000 miles

Plants & Wildlife

Antarctica	Arctic
Antarctica has penguins	The Arctic has polar bears
No tundra or tree lines	The tundra is well developed and marked by a tree shrubline
No terrestrial mammals	Terrestrial mammals include musk ox, reindeer, caribou, foxes, hares, wolves, lemming, bears, and more
Marine mammals include whales, porpoises and seals	Marine mammals include whales, porpoises, seals, and amphibious mammals

Human Impact

Antarctica	Arctic
Antarctica has no permanent population	The Arctic has a native population
No record of primitive humans and no native groups	There are native people with a long cultural record
There are no permanent residents at 60°S, but there is a sparse population at scattered scientific stations	Human population north of 60°N is in excess of 2 million with modern settlements
First crossing of the Antarctic Circle was by James Cook on January 17, 1773	The first crossing of the Arctic Circle is prehistoric