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2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Kate Upton.

updated 12:55 p.m. ET Feb. 5, 2013

NEW YORK - Few would think about swimming in Antarctica, but Sports Illustrated took its models there for its annual swimsuit issue - shooting on all seven continents for the first time.

The around-the-globe effort will be chronicled by the Travel Channel in a special on Feb. 17. Sports Illustrated said Tuesday it's the first to do a fashion shoot in Antarctica, where temperatures were subfreezing.

Among the locations featured are Namibia, China, Australia and Easter Island, one of the most remote places on Earth.

Swimsuit magazine editor MJ Day says it took seven months to complete.

Sports Illustrated will reveal its cover Monday. It can be a star-making opportunity. Last year's cover model was Kate Upton. The magazine hits newsstands Feb. 12.