Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles. It is the northernmost of the five major circles of latitude. You can see it on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. The other one is the Antarctic Circle.

The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude where, during the December solstice, the Sun does not rise. And during the June solstice, the Sun never sets. We call these polar night and midnight sun. The closer you get to the pole, the longer these events last.

The positions of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles change a little each year. Right now, the Arctic Circle is 66°33′50.9″ north of the Equator. Its place depends on Earth's axial tilt. This tilt changes by about 2° over 41,000 years because of tidal forces from the orbit of the Moon. So, the Arctic Circle is slowly drifting toward the North Pole, and the Antarctic Circle is moving toward the South Pole. They each move about 14.5 m (48 ft) every year.

Etymology

The word arctic comes from an ancient Greek word that means "near the Bear, northern." This word came from another word that means "bear."

Midnight sun and polar night

Further information: Midnight sun and Polar night

The Arctic Circle is a special line in the north. Here, the Sun can stay above or below the horizon all day long. Because of this, people in the Arctic Circle can see the Sun at midnight once every year. There are also times when the Sun is not seen at noon.

Exactly on the Arctic Circle, these special things happen once a year in June and December during the solstices. Because of how Earth's air bends light, some places a little south of the Arctic Circle can see part of the midnight sun. In the same way, during the winter solstice, a little bit of the Sun can be seen a little north of the Arctic Circle. This is true at sea level, but it can change if you are higher up.

Human habitation

The biggest towns north of the Arctic Circle are in Russia, Norway, and Sweden. Cities like Murmansk, Norilsk, and Tromsø have many people living there. Other important places are Vorkuta, Bodø, Harstad, and Kiruna.

In other countries, Sisimiut in Greenland and Utqiagvik, Alaska each have about 5,000 people. Inuvik in the Northwest Territories is the largest town in Canada north of the Arctic Circle.

Exclusive economic zones

Main article: Territorial claims in the Arctic

The Arctic has land and water north of 66°33′ N latitude. Eight countries control parts of this area: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (through Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. According to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the North Pole and its waters do not belong to any one country. Rights in the area are managed through maritime zones, with each country controlling its own area.

Geography

The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line around the Earth at about 66° 34' North. It is about 16,000 kilometers long. The area north of this line covers about 20 million square kilometers, which is about 4% of the Earth's surface.

The Arctic Circle goes through the Arctic Ocean, the Scandinavian Peninsula, North Asia, Northern America, and Greenland. Eight countries have land inside the Arctic Circle: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland.

The climate in the Arctic Circle is usually very cold. But the coastal areas of Norway stay milder because of the Gulf Stream, which keeps ports free of ice all year. In some places, like Norilsk in Russia, summers can get warm, up to around 30°C, while winters can be very cold, often below −50°C.

Starting from the prime meridian and moving east, the Arctic Circle passes through many places.