By the beginning of the 19th century the search for a southern continent had been going on for several centuries.
In 1820 — a few years after Australia became Australia — an expedition from Russia spotted mainland Antarctica for the very first time.
Looking at maps throughout the 19th century, you can find a few different names for the southern continent, including “Ultima” and “Antipodea.”
John George Bartholomew, a Scottish cartographer, is believed to be the first person to use “Antartica” to refer to the continent.
The name was taken from the existing word “antarctic” or “antarctique” in French, as the French held a colony in Brazil below the equator which they named France Antartique.
Antarctica comes from the Greek word “antarktike,” which literally means “opposite to the north”, this last discovered continent being home to the southernmost point on Earth.