What Is The Arctic? About The Northern Polar Region
ARCTIC – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the northernmost polar region of Earth which is known as the Arctic.
As mentioned above, it is the polar region that is located at the northernmost part of Earth.
The term is derived from the Greek word arktikos (ἀρκτικός), which means ‘near the Bear’ or ‘Northern’, which is derived from the word arktos (ἄρκτος), which means ‘bear’. This refers to the constellation Ursa Major, the “Great Bear” or Ursa Minor” or Little Bear.
The region consists of the the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska in the United States, Canada, Finland, Greenland in Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
The land within the region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost which contains tundra.
It is also a unique region among the ecosystems of the Earth. The cultures in the region as well as the indigenous people there have adapted to its cold and extreme conditions.
The region is characterized by cold winters and cool summers and its precipitation comes in the form of snow. There, high winds often stir up snow which gives off the illusion of continuous snowfall.
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