The
Arctic is a region of the planet, north of the Arctic Circle, and
includes the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Baffin Island, other smaller
northern islands, and the far northern parts of Europe, Russia
(Siberia), Alaska and Canada.
The Arctic Circle,
incidentally, is an imaginary line located at 66º, 30'N latitude, and
as a guide defines the southernmost part of the Arctic. The climate
within the Circle is very cold and much of the area is always covered
with ice.
In the mid winter months, the sun never rises and temperatures can
easily reach lows of - 50º F in the higher latitudes. In the summer
months (further south), 24 hours of sunlight a day melts the seas and
topsoil, and is the main cause of icebergs breaking off from the frozen
north and floating south, causing havoc in the shipping lanes of the
north Atlantic.
The primary residents of the Arctic include the Eskimos (Inuits), Saami
and Russians, with an overall population (of all peoples) exceeding 2
million. The indigenous Eskimos have lived in the area for over 9,000
years, and many have now given up much of their traditional hunting and
fishing to work in the oil fields and the varied support villages.
The first explorers of the Arctic were Vikings. Norwegians visited the
northern regions in the 9th century, and Erik the Red (Icelander)
established a settlement in Greenland in 982. In 1909, after numerous
attempts by regional explorers, Robert E. Peary reached the North Pole.
The North Pole
The northernmost point on the earth's surface is called the North Pole. Also known as the Geographic North Pole, or Terrestrial North Pole, it is diametrically opposite the South Pole.
Located approximately 442 miles north of Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada, it's positioned at (and defines) 90° north latitude, so from here, all travel in any direction would be south.
Under widely-accepted international law, no country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it.
Russia has recently asserted it's desire to look for oil in the Arctic, however Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Norway, the United States (via Alaska) and Russia are still restricted to a 200-mile zone around their established coastlines.
In the summer months at the pole the sun is permanently above the horizon; during winter the sun never rises.
The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole because it lies at sea level in the middle of the Arctic Ocean (albeit mostly frozen), where as the South Pole is significantly elevated on the frozen continent of Antarctic.
The Arctic Circle,
incidentally, is an imaginary line located at 66º, 30'N latitude, and
as a guide defines the southernmost part of the Arctic. The climate
within the Circle is very cold and much of the area is always covered
with ice.
In the mid winter months, the sun never rises and temperatures can
easily reach lows of - 50º F in the higher latitudes. In the summer
months (further south), 24 hours of sunlight a day melts the seas and
topsoil, and is the main cause of icebergs breaking off from the frozen
north and floating south, causing havoc in the shipping lanes of the
north Atlantic.
The primary residents of the Arctic include the Eskimos (Inuits), Saami
and Russians, with an overall population (of all peoples) exceeding 2
million. The indigenous Eskimos have lived in the area for over 9,000
years, and many have now given up much of their traditional hunting and
fishing to work in the oil fields and the varied support villages.
The first explorers of the Arctic were Vikings. Norwegians visited the
northern regions in the 9th century, and Erik the Red (Icelander)
established a settlement in Greenland in 982. In 1909, after numerous
attempts by regional explorers, Robert E. Peary reached the North Pole.  |  |
The North Pole
The northernmost point on the earth's surface is called the North Pole. Also known as the Geographic North Pole, or Terrestrial North Pole, it is diametrically opposite the South Pole.
Located approximately 442 miles north of Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada, it's positioned at (and defines) 90° north latitude, so from here, all travel in any direction would be south.
Under widely-accepted international law, no country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it.
Russia has recently asserted it's desire to look for oil in the Arctic, however Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Norway, the United States (via Alaska) and Russia are still restricted to a 200-mile zone around their established coastlines.
In the summer months at the pole the sun is permanently above the horizon; during winter the sun never rises.
The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole because it lies at sea level in the middle of the Arctic Ocean (albeit mostly frozen), where as the South Pole is significantly elevated on the frozen continent of Antarctic. 
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