The Arctic Circle is located at 66.5º north of the Equator and receives 24 hours of sunlight during the summer solstice. Eight countries have land within the Arctic Circle, and the region is home to unique wildlife such as polar bears and arctic foxes. Explorers have studied the region for resources and scientific research.
The Arctic Circle is the name of the parallel of latitude located at 66°32′ or 66.5º north of the Equator, which is the equivalent of 23.5º from the North Pole. Since this distance corresponds to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the Arctic Circle receives 24 hours of sunlight at the summer solstice, and north of the Arctic Circle for a longer period, with the North Pole having continuous sunshine for six months. This is why the region is called “The Land of the Midnight Sun”.
Explorers of the Arctic Circle region
Explorers explored the Arctic Circle region in search of a Northwest or Northeast Passage, studying development possibilities and looking for resources. It has also been the site of scientific studies related to a number of topics, including the depletion of the ozone layer. Noted explorers of the region such as William Baffin, Vitus Bering, Martin Frobisher and Henry Hudson, whose names are immortalized in the eponymous natural features. Other noted explorers include Roald Amundsen, who traversed both the Northwest and Northeast Passes, and Robert E. Peary, whose claim to having been the first to the North Pole in 1909 is disputed.
Countries within the Arctic Circle
Eight countries have land that lies partially within the Arctic Circle, as well as substantial populations in the Arctic region.
• Alaska has 400,000 square miles (1,035,995 sq km) and a population of 200,000
• Canada has 2,000,000 square miles (5,179,976 sq km) and a population of 100,000
• Finland has 60,000 square miles (155,399 sq km) and a population of 200,000
• Greenland has 840,000 square miles (2,175,590 sq km) and a population of 60,000
• Iceland has 40,000 square miles (103,600 sq km) and a population of 270,000
• Norway has 110,000 square miles (284,899 sq km) and a population of 150,000
• Russia has 4,000,000 square miles (10,359,950 sq km) and a population of 2,000,000
• Sweden has 90,000 square miles (223,099 sq km) and a population of 200,000.
Wildlife within the Arctic Circle
Inside the Arctic Circle there is a distinctive fauna. Mammals we can expect to see there include polar bears, arctic foxes, gray wolves, beluga whales, narwhals, wolverines, caribou, walruses, whales, seals, and musk ox. Birds of the Arctic Circle region include bald eagles, Laysan albatrosses, and peregrine falcons.
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