Monday 21 October 2013

Antarctica: the Anti-Bear Land

It is no secret that I am a good fan of the American author Dan Brown. Only recently did I proudly become a Dan Brown Completist; that is I have completed all six books of his: from The Digital Fortress up to Inferno.

I like the small pieces of information that he usually adds between the lines of his works. An interesting one was featured in the book Deception Point that got my attention.

Ever thought about the origin of the word Antarctica, the Earth's southernmost continent? Well, according to what he wrote, "Arktos" is the Greek word for "bear". Thus the name of The Arctic; the northernmost polar region with bears. On the other hand, Antarctica would literally translate to "Anti-arktos" or "Anti-bear"; the polar region with NO polar bears!

Isn't this a great way to remember which is which? Which pole has bears and which one doesn't? :)

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