---
title: "Arctic vs Antarctic"
description: "Know that the Arctic (North Pole) and Antarctic (South Pole) are very different — the Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land where people and polar bears live, while the Antarctic is a huge ice-c"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/arctic-vs-antarctic-mt_aO018DkCun
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/arctic-vs-antarctic-mt_aO018DkCun.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Arctic vs Antarctic

Know that the Arctic (North Pole) and Antarctic (South Pole) are very different — the Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land where people and polar bears live, while the Antarctic is a huge ice-covered continent surrounded by ocean where penguins live but no people live permanently

Subject: Science · Area: Polar Regions · Ages 5 to 7
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/arctic-vs-antarctic-mt_aO018DkCun

## Ready when they can

- State that the Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land, while the Antarctic is a continent covered in ice surrounded by ocean
- Explain that polar bears live in the Arctic and penguins live in the Antarctic, not the other way around
- Know that people (like the Inuit) live in the Arctic but nobody lives permanently in Antarctica

## Lesson: Two Icy Opposites

The Arctic is at the top of the world, around the North Pole. The Antarctic is at the bottom, around the South Pole. Both are icy, but they are built in opposite ways. The Arctic is a frozen ocean with land all around it. The Antarctic is a big land called a continent, and thick ice covers it. Ocean goes all around it.

*(drawing: Land wraps around a frozen ocean. That is the Arctic.)*

*(drawing: Ocean wraps around frozen land. That is the Antarctic.)*

**Example.** Kira visits the Arctic first. She sees a polar bear on the ice. She meets Inuit families who live there all year. Then Kira reads about Antarctica. Emperor penguins waddle on the ice there. But no people live there forever.

**Tip.** Polar bears live in the Arctic, at the top of the world. Penguins live in the Antarctic, at the bottom. They never meet in the wild.

**Recap.** The Arctic is frozen ocean with land around it, and the Antarctic is icy land with ocean around it.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Where Are the Poles?](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/where-are-the-poles-mt_4uPnLieBPN)

## Opens up

- [More Polar Animals](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/more-polar-animals-mt_7OJjLOl0fz)
- [Penguins](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/penguins-mt_CK2orHetl3)
- [Polar Animals](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/polar-animals-mt_D4lyx0iYyB)
- [Polar Bears](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/polar-bears-mt_O9dH94NFae)
- [Comparing Arctic & Antarctic](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/comparing-arctic-and-antarctic-mt_z9jn9HogfE)