Antarctica is the southernmost continent, located around the South Pole. It is the fifth-largest continent, covering about 14 million square kilometers. The continent is mostly covered by ice, which can be up to 4.8 kilometers thick in some areas. The Antarctic ice sheet contains about 60% of the world's fresh water. The geography of Antarctica includes mountain ranges, such as the Transantarctic Mountains, and vast ice shelves, like the Ross Ice Shelf. The continent is largely uninhabited, with no permanent residents, but various research stations are established by countries like the United States and Russia for scientific study.