| Antarctica, the coldest continent in the world, holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth: -89.2° C (-128.6° F). The interior of Antarctica is a windy polar desert with less than 50 mm (less than 2 in) of precipitation a year. Precipitation is greater in the milder coastal areas, averaging more than 200 mm (more than 8 in) annually, much of it in the form of snow dropped by cyclones. |