I’m a 27-year-old explorer who loves discovering the most extreme places on our planet. There’s something thrilling about places where the air is so cold it hurts to breathe, like the coldest spot on Earth, Antarctica. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -89.2°C (-128.6°F) at Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. That’s colder than anywhere else! I wanted to learn why some places get so cold, what makes Antarctica special, and how other cold places compare. Let’s explore the coldest places on Earth, their icy landscapes, and their secrets, as I share my findings on this chilly evening, June 23, 2025, at 9:58 p.m.
Antarctica is a continent at the bottom of the world, covered in ice and snow. It’s the fifth-largest continent, about 14 million square kilometers, bigger than Australia. Almost all of it is ice, up to 4 kilometers thick in some areas. Antarctica is a desert because it gets very little precipitation—less than 200 millimeters per year, mostly as snow. The coldest place in Antarctica, and on Earth, is Vostok Station, a Russian research base in the middle of the continent, about 1,300 kilometers from the South Pole. Vostok sits on a high plateau, 3,488 meters above sea level, where the air is thin and freezing.
Why is Vostok Station so cold? Several things make it extreme. First, it’s high up, and high places are colder because the air is thinner and holds less heat. Second, Antarctica is far from the equator, so the sun’s rays are weak. In winter, from May to August, the sun doesn’t rise for months, creating a long, dark polar night. Without sunlight, temperatures drop. Third, the ice reflects sunlight, keeping the ground cold. At Vostok, winter temperatures often fall below -70°C, and the -89.2°C record is the lowest ever measured by a weather station. Scientists say it might get even colder in some spots, but no one’s measured it yet.
The air at Vostok is so cold it can freeze your skin in seconds. Researchers there wear thick coats, masks, and gloves to stay safe. Breathing the air feels like swallowing ice. Machines break down, and even fuel can freeze. Scientists live in heated buildings, studying ice cores—deep samples of ice that show Earth’s climate from thousands of years ago. These cores help us understand global warming and how our planet changes.
Antarctica isn’t just cold—it’s beautiful. The ice sparkles like diamonds under the sun. There are huge glaciers, like the Beardmore Glacier, and mountains, like the Transantarctic Range. The coast has icebergs floating in the sea, some bigger than cities. Animals like penguins, seals, and whales live near the water, eating fish and krill. Inland, it’s too cold for most life, but tiny microbes survive in the ice. No humans live there permanently, but about 1,000 to 5,000 scientists stay at research stations, depending on the season.
Other places on Earth are also very cold, though none match Vostok’s record. The Arctic, near the North Pole, is another icy region. Oymyakon, a village in Siberia, Russia, is the coldest inhabited place, with a record low of -67.7°C in 1933. Oymyakon sits in a valley where cold air sinks, and winter lasts nine months. About 500 people live there, raising cattle and fishing in frozen rivers. They wear fur coats and heat their homes with wood stoves. Cars need to stay running, or the engines freeze. Life in Oymyakon is hard, but people adapt, eating warm soups and staying indoors.
In North America, Snag, a small village in Yukon, Canada, recorded -62.8°C in 1947, the coldest in the continent. Snag is in a valley near mountains, where cold air gets trapped. The area is covered in snow, and winters are long and dark. Native people, like the First Nations, have lived there for centuries, hunting caribou and using sleds. Today, few people stay, but the cold record makes Snag famous.
Greenland, an island in the Arctic, is also freezing. The ice sheet covering Greenland is up to 3 kilometers thick, and temperatures at Summit Station, a research base, can drop to -60°C. Greenland’s cold comes from its high elevation and closeness to the North Pole. Scientists study the ice to learn about past climates, and Inuit people live on the coast, fishing and hunting seals. The cold shapes their life, with dog sleds and warm clothes.
In Asia, Verkhoyansk, another Siberian town in Russia, competes with Oymyakon for the coldest inhabited place, hitting -67.6°C in 1892. Verkhoyansk is near the Arctic Circle, with long winters and short summers. About 1,300 people live there, herding reindeer and mining gold. The ground is permafrost, frozen all year, so houses are built on stilts. People eat frozen fish and drink hot tea to stay warm.
Why do these places get so cold? They share some features. Most are far from the equator, where the sun is weak. High elevations, like Vostok’s plateau, make air colder. Snow and ice reflect heat, keeping the ground chilly. Long winters with no sunlight, like in Antarctica or Siberia, let cold build up. Valleys trap cold air, as in Oymyakon and Snag. Clear skies at night let heat escape, dropping temperatures even more.
Cold places are important for science. Antarctica’s ice holds clues about Earth’s history, like ancient air bubbles trapped in ice. Scientists at Vostok and Summit Station study these to predict future climate changes. Cold regions also test technology, like machines for space missions, because they’re so extreme. The Arctic and Antarctica show us how global warming affects ice, with melting glaciers raising sea levels.
Cold places have history too. In Antarctica, explorers like Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911, facing deadly cold. In Siberia, people have lived for thousands of years, using fire and fur to survive. Inuit in Greenland and Canada built igloos and hunted in freezing winds. These stories show human strength and cleverness in the face of cold.
Visiting cold places is an adventure but risky. In Antarctica, tourists visit the coast by ship, seeing penguins and icebergs, but they need warm clothes and guides. Vostok is only for scientists, as it’s too remote and cold. In Oymyakon, visitors try the cold for fun, but they must wear layers and stay near heat. I read about travelers who saw their breath freeze in Verkhoyansk, calling it a “winter wonderland.” Guides warn visitors to cover skin and drink hot drinks to avoid frostbite.
Cold places inspire stories too. In my town, elders tell tales of snow spirits in winter. In Antarctica, legends say the ice holds ancient secrets. Inuit stories talk of sea goddesses in the Arctic. These tales make cold places feel magical, like they guard mysteries in their frost.
I dream of visiting Antarctica one day. I want to stand at Vostok Station, feel the icy air, and see the endless white ice. I’d visit in summer, when it’s “warmer” at -30°C, and stay in a heated base. I’d also love to see Oymyakon’s frozen rivers or Greenland’s ice sheet, but I’d need thick boots and a warm coat. These places are harsh, but they’re beautiful, showing Earth’s power and stillness.
The coldest places on Earth, like Vostok Station, Oymyakon, and Greenland, are more than just ice. They’re about nature’s limits, human survival, and our planet’s past. They teach us to respect the environment and prepare for challenges. As I think about my dream trip, I feel excited. The coldest places are like a frozen puzzle—can you face the chill and find wonder in it? I hope to find out someday.