Geography of the Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is located at about 66° north latitude. It marks the region where, for at least one day a year, the sun never rises in winter and never sets in summer. This is known as the polar night and the midnight sun.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the Arctic Circle will be dark the entire day. On the summer solstice, which is the longest day of the year, the Sun will not set.
The closer you get to the North Pole, the longer this lasts. For example, the world’s northernmost settlement with over 1,000 people is Longyearbyen, on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. The community experiences a midnight sun for 127 days between April and August and a polar night for 111 days from October to February.
As you can see in the map here, the Arctic Circle passes through the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Russia, Canada, Alaska, and Greenland (a territory of Denmark).
The Arctic region is mostly ocean, covered by sea ice that expands in the winter and shrinks during the summer. This ice plays an important role in regulating the Earth’s climate, reflecting sunlight and keeping the polar region cool.
The islands and landforms that surround the Arctic Ocean feature tundra, a treeless landscape with frozen ground known as permafrost. During the short summer, only the top layer of permafrost thaws, allowing some hardy plants like moss and small shrubs to grow.
The climate is harsh in most of the Arctic Circle. Winters are long, cold, and dark, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing.
Summers are short and cool, but the continuous daylight allows plants to grow in the brief growing season.
Some coastal areas are milder due to the Gulf Stream. Still, the weather is unpredictable, with strong winds and snowstorms common even in summer.
The region is home to many natural features, including mountain ranges, glaciers, and fjords. The Arctic also has bodies of water, like the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea, which support a variety of marine life. The combination of ice, ocean, and tundra makes the Arctic Circle one of the most unique environments on Earth.
Polar bears have adapted to the cold environment with thick layers of fur and fat and hunt seals on sea ice. Arctic foxes whose fur changes color with the season also make a home in the region along with caribou and seabirds. The Arctic’s bodies of water, like the Greenland Sea and the Barents Sea, support a variety of marine life like whales and narwhals.