antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent. it is also, on average, the highest of all the continents. antarctica is considered a desert. it has yearly precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) near the sea and far less inland. no humans live in antarctica permanently. however, about 1,000 to 5,000 people live through the year at the science stations in antarctica. only plants and animals that can live in cold live there. the animals include penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades and mites. plant life includes some grass and shrubs, algae, lichen, fungi, and bacteria.