The Cold Arctic

The Arctic is the northernmost region of Earth. It surrounds the North Pole and includes the northernmost areas of North America, Europe and Asia. Most of it is frozen, barren landscape with very little precipitation. During most of the winter the sun never rises above the horizon and then during the middle of summer the sun never sets. Geographically, it includes all areas of the world north of the Arctic Circle. Countries with territory in this region are the United States, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Russian port city of Murmansk, with a population of roughly 320,000, is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

 Despite the hostile environment some people have been able to adapt to life in the Arctic. The Inuit, more commonly referred to as Eskimos, have lived in the Arctic for millenniums. They live mostly from fishing. And the Arctic does support certain plant life such as lingonberry, birch, larch and willow and spruce trees in most of the southern regions. It is also home to wildlife such as wolves, musk oxen, snowy owls, lemmings, voles, ground squirrels, seals, walruses and polar bears.

 Most people living in the northernmost areas of the Arctic speak English and there is fear that the Inuit’s language is in danger of disappearing.

 The Arctic owes its legendary frigid temperature to the relatively little energy it receives from the sun. During the times of the winter in which the sun never rises above the horizon the temperature can drop as low as -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 Celsius). But during periods of constant sunlight during the summer it can get as high as 86 F (30 C). Most of the Arctic receives an average of only 2 to 10 inches (5 to 25 centimeters) precipitation a year, almost all of in the form of snow.

 Mining is a very important industrial activity in the Arctic due to large amounts of minerals, oil and natural gas, especially in Alaska and Russia. Minerals such as copper, gold, lead, silver and zinc are abundant.

 Before modern times the Arctic had been much explored. Viking explorer Erik the Red is believed to be the first European to make contact with Inuit in A.D. 982. Italian explorer John Cabot, attempting to find a northwest passage to Asia, explored the region 1497. There is disagreement over who reached the North Pole first, however. American explorer Robert E. Perry, along with Matthew Henson, claimed to be the first in 1909 but fellow American Frederick A. Cook claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1908. Most scholars believe evidence supports Peary’s claims.