Antarctica, the last of the continents discovered by Europeans, was named so by the Russian navigators Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. It would seem that the continent could be called Ice Lands or Frozen Dals, why does it have such a non-Slavic name?
Instructions
Step 1
It is worth noting that even before the discovery of this ice continent, scientists put forward assumptions about its existence. But often this unknown continent was either represented as part of Australia or united with South America. When, during the Russian expedition of 1820, guesses about its existence were confirmed, this distant land at the South Pole was named Antarctica. Then, over time, this word was transformed into a more familiar to us - Antarctica, why, today we can only guess, but there is an assumption of an analogy with the sunken Atlantis, a kind of play on words.
Step 2
It is not difficult to understand why the first name for Antarctica is Antarctica. This word has Greek roots. The first part of it is "anti", that is, "the opposite." The second half of the word explains the opposition - the Arctic, the region of the Earth at the North Pole, which mankind has known for a long time. It is the polarity of these geographical units that explains why a prefix was simply added to the name of the other, giving the word the opposite meaning.
Step 3
As for the name "Arctic", it is also of Greek origin. "Arktos" in translation from him is a bear. One might assume that the polar lands and ice at the North Pole were simply called "bearish." And this is not without reason, because it is there that polar bears are found. But there is another version of the origin of the word "Arctic". The fact is that the Polar Star, which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, is practically motionless during the daytime rotation of the Earth. It was she who was always used as a reference point. And since it is located above the North Pole, then all the polar lands were called the Arctic, that is, under the bear. But whatever the etymology of the word "Antarctica", the meaning remains - bears are not found at the South Pole.
