The Arctic regions are centered on the North Pole. They include the northern parts of Canada, the United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. The Arctic Ocean lies between these lands. An imaginary line, called the Arctic Circle, surrounds most of the area. The Arctic regions are some of the least populated areas on Earth.
The Arctic lands are generally flat and low tundras, or treeless plains. Mountains rise in some places. The ground is permanently frozen in many areas. Only a thin top layer thaws in the summer. A huge sheet of ice covers most of Greenland year-round.
At the North Pole the Sun does not rise above the horizon for six months of the year. For the rest of the year, the Sun never sets. The Arctic lands are farther south, so they get a few hours of daylight on winter days. During summer, they get only a few hours of darkness each night.
Winters in the Arctic regions are very cold. The temperature in January may be −90° F (−68° C) in inland areas. Snowfall is light in these areas. It is heavier near the coasts. In summer the temperature reaches about 50° F (10° C).
Trees do not grow in most of the Arctic. Spruces, larches, pines, and firs grow only in the southernmost areas. Lichens, mosses, grasses, and some flowering plants grow on the tundras.
Arctic land animals include the polar bear, the caribou or reindeer, the gray wolf, the Arctic fox, and the Arctic hare. Seals and walrus live in the water and on the coasts. Whales and many types of fish live in the ocean. The snowy owl lives in the Arctic year-round. Other birds come for only the summer.
Many groups of native people live in the Arctic regions. In Russia, they include the Nenets, the Sakha, the Evenk, and the Chukchi. The Sami live in an area of northern Europe called Lapland. The Inuit and the Aleuts live in North America. These peoples tend to live in small settlements and towns.
In the 1900s many people with European roots settled in the Arctic regions. Mining, oil drilling, and other industries drew many of these settlers. They tend to live in larger towns and cities.
Native peoples have lived in the Arctic regions for thousands of years. The Vikings of Norway settled Iceland in the late 800s. They visited Greenland in the 900s.
Beginning in the 1500s, European explorers searched for new trade routes between Europe and Asia. Some tried to sail west and north around North America. Others tried to sail north and east around Asia. These explorers made maps of many Arctic coasts. Meanwhile, whale hunters and fur traders also explored the Arctic lands.
By the mid-1900s people had mapped most of the Arctic lands. They had also reached the North Pole. Scientists then went to the Arctic to study its plants, animals, and minerals. Today scientists are studying how rising world temperatures are affecting the Arctic environment.
