ARCTIC CIRCLE

INTRODUCTION
Arctic Circle - one of the five major circles of latitude and one of the 2 polar
circles. It sits in the northerly part of the globe.
- Coordinates: 66° 34" N.
The 8 countries within the Arctic Circle:
● Canada
● Greenland
● Iceland
● Norway
● Russia
● Finland
● US (Alaska)

The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the winter
solstice (where we have the least amount of daylight of any time of the year),
the sun will not rise all day. Meanwhile, during the summer solstice (this
means we have the longest day of the year but also the shortest night), the sun
will not set.
- These phenomena are called Polar Night and Midnight Sun. The further
north one progresses, the more pronounced these effects become.
- For example (1) in Fairbanks, Alaska (The Land of the Midnight Sun)
from April 22 to August 20, the sun never sets. (2) In the northern part of
Norway, particularly in Tromsø, Norway they experience Polar Nights
from Nov. 27 to Jan. 15 where the sun does not rise at all. (3) In the
Russian Port in the City of Murmansk, 3° above the Arctic Circle, the
sun does not rise above the horizon for 40 days in midwinter.

● Midnight Sun can be experienced in either the Arctic or Antarctica,

depending on what time of the year.
- it occurs in the Arctic circle during the summer solstice (around
June 22), During the same time, in the Antarctic circle, polar
night occurs. In the Antarctic circle, midnight sun occurs during
the winter solstice (around December 21) and polar night
simultaneously occurs in the Arctic circle.
 ● The opposite of this phenomenon is called Polar Night when there is no
sunlight throughout the day.
- This occurs only in the polar circles as the regions beyond it get
some sunlight because of the atmosphere scattering the light
across the sky. This scattering also reduces the area which comes
under the polar night. The number of days where the sun is under
the horizon is around 179 days, but not all of them are counted as
polar nights because of scattering.

It’s latitude is determined by the Earth’s axial tilt which varies by more than 2°
over a 41,000 years old period due to the tidal wave forces caused by the
moon’s orbit.

Climate
The Arctic Circle experiences a polar climate, characterized by extremely
cold temperatures, particularly in winter, and relatively cool summers.
Winter - the temperature can drop well below freezing, often reaching -30 to
-40 degrees Celsius (-22 to - 40 degrees Fahrenheit).
Summer - the temperatures are milder, typically ranging from 0 to 10 degrees
Celsius (32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit)
This region also experiences long periods of darkness in winter and continuous
daylight in summer, due to its high latitude.

GEOGRAPHY
Line of Latitude: The Arctic Circle is a line of latitude that separates the Arctic
zone in the north from the Northern Temperate Zone in the south. It is the
most northerly of the five major lines of latitude.
- 16,000 km (9,900 mi) in circumference.
- a line of latitude about 66.5° north of the Equator. Within this circle are
the Arctic Ocean basin and the northern parts of Scandinavia, Russia,
Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. state of Alaska.
- North Area: 20,000,000 km2 (7,700,000 sq mi) and covers 4% of Earth's
surface.
 - The Arctic Circle is a parallel or line of latitude at approximately 66°33' N
that marks the border of the Arctic, the northernmost region of Earth.
The geographic point at the center of the Arctic Circle is the North Pole.
(The Arctic Circle passes through the Arctic Ocean, the Scandinavian
Peninsula, North Asia, Northern America, and Greenland. The land within the
Arctic Circle is divided among eight countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland,
Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and
Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland (where it passes through the
small offshore island of Grímsey).
HUMAN INHABITATION:
The largest communities north of the Arctic Circle are situated in Russia,
Norway, and Sweden:
- Murmansk (population 295,374) and Norilsk (178,018), Vorkuta (58,133)
in Russia, Bodø (52,357) in Russia. (Salekhard (51,186) in Russia is the
only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle)
- Tromsø (75,638) and Harstad (24,703) in Norway
- Kiruna, Sweden (22,841).
- Rovaniemi (62,667) in Finland, the largest settlement in the immediate
vicinity of the Arctic Circle, lies 6 km (4 mi) south of the line.
- The largest North American community north of the Arctic Circle,
Sisimiut (Greenland), has approximately 5,600 inhabitants.
- In the US, Utqiaġvik, Alaska (Formerly Barrow), is the largest settlement
north of the Arctic Circle with about 5,000 inhabitants.
- The largest such community in Canada is Inuvik in the Northwest
Territories, (3,137 inhabitants.)

https://www.geographyrealm.com/arctic-circle/#:~:text=The%20
Arctic%20Circle%20is%20a,45.6%E2%80%B3%20north%20of%20the%20Equa
tor.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/arctic/
https://www.scienceabc.com/pure-sciences/midnight-sun-what-is-it-and-why
-does-it-occur.html
 Antarctic Circle

The Antarctic Circle is a parallel of latitude on the Earth at approximately 66.5

degrees south of the equator. On the day of the southern summer solstice
(around December 22 each year), an observer on the Antarctic Circle will see
the Sun above the horizon for a full 24 hours.
Midnight Sun: Similar to the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle also experiences
the "midnight sun" during its summer solstice, which occurs around December
21st. This phenomenon results in continuous daylight in parts of Antarctica.
Polar Night: Conversely, during the Antarctic winter (around June 21st), the
Antarctic Circle experiences a period of continuous darkness known as the
"polar night."
REFERENCES:
Arctic Circle. (2023, September 7). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Circle
Antarctic Circle | COSMOS

Antarctica is a continent unto itself and is not a part of any country. The Great
White Continent is governed under a series of recognised guidelines and
agreements called the Antarctic Treaty System. Twelve countries signed the
Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and the agreement currently has 54 signatories.
Although Antarctica has never had an indigenous population, seven nations
have claimed parts of the continent – New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway,
the United Kingdom, Chile and Argentina. Some of these territories overlap.
The United States, Russia and Brazil all have a permanent presence in
Antarctica, but haven't currently claimed territory. Most of these ten countries
have established scientific research centres, where around 4000 people work
and live in Antarctica over summer, with numbers reducing to around 1000 in
winter. The vast majority of the population are scientists; some are operational
staff, like ships' crews and service workers.
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Home Antarctica What country is Antarctica in?
Antarctica is a continent unto itself and is not a part of any country. The Great
White Continent is governed under a series of recognised guidelines and
agreements called the Antarctic Treaty System. Twelve countries signed the
Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and the agreement currently has 54 signatories.
Although Antarctica has never had an indigenous population, seven nations
have claimed parts of the continent – New Zealand, Australia, France, Norway,
the United Kingdom, Chile and Argentina. Some of these territories overlap.
The United States, Russia and Brazil all have a permanent presence in
Antarctica, but haven't currently claimed territory. Most of these ten countries
have established scientific research centres, where around 4000 people work
and live in Antarctica over summer, with numbers reducing to around 1000 in
winter. The vast majority of the population are scientists; some are operational
staff, like ships' crews and service workers.
The 12 countries in Antarctica
1.France (Adélie Land)
2.United Kingdom (British Antarctic Territory)
3.New Zealand (Ross Dependency)
4.Norway (Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land)
5.Australia (Australian Antarctic Territory)
6.Chile (Chilean Antarctic Territory)
7.Argentina (Argentine Antarctica)
8.Belgium
9.Japan
10.South Africa
11.USA
12.Russia

REFERENCE:
https://www.intrepidtravel.com/en/antarctica/what-country-antarctica