20 interesting facts about the Arctic

20 interesting facts about the Arctic

A number of interesting facts about the Arctic, inspired by our recent trip to the Greenland ice shield

Our first trip to the Arctic Circle delivered more than we hoped: breathtaking northern lights, a close encounter with arctic reindeer and a nightly husky hike full of husky puppies. From the city of Tromso, however, we saw little of the wilderness that makes up the polar regions.

This was corrected on my recent trip to Greenland, where I hiked the Arctic Circle Trail, hiked to the Greenland ice shield and saw the midnight sun in Ilulisat. This revealed the true beauty of the Arctic region. The area is not only aesthetically appealing, but also historically rich and geographically fascinating, which leads to countless interesting facts about the Arctic. Here we share the best of you.

interesting facts about the Arctic

1. The Arctic is defined by scientists as the area above the Arctic Circle, a mathematical line that circles the globe on the latitude 66 ° 30 ′ n. There is at least an annual period of 24 hours in which the sun does not appear to be set and one that does not increase. (Source: Britannica)

alt = “A arctic fox in Spitzbergen, Norway”> Joannaperchaluk/Shutterstock A Isolar in Spitzbergen, Norway

1. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the USA (Alaska) and Canada. (Source: Britannica)

2. in 1958 the submarine USS Nautilus drove under the frozen ice cream of the Arctic ocean and proved that the enormous ice cream cover covers water and not land. The Arctic is mainly an ocean that is surrounded by land, while the Antarctic is mainly a country surrounded by ocean. (Source: BBC)

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Greenland under the midnight sun explore

1. on Svalbard in Norway, the sun never fully goes under from mid -April to mid -August for 125 days. The “midnight sun” is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer at places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Arctic Circle. (Source: Visit Norway)

2. Polar night is the opposite of midnight sun if the sun is not visible over the horizon at all. On Spitzbergen, the polar night lasts from mid -November to the end of January. (Source: Visit Svalbard)

alt = “The geographical versus of the magnetic north pole”> Fair use The geographical versus of the magnetic north pole

1. There is more than one north pole. The northernmost point on the earth's surface is the geographical North Pole, also known as True North. In the south is the magnetic North Pole on which all magnetic compass shows. This point is not defined and changes constantly. (Source: National Geographic)

2. The American explorer Robert Peary was long considered the first person to reach the geographical North Pole (on April 6, 1909). In the 1980s, however, studies by his expedition diary and other documents revealed doubts as to whether he had actually reached the pole. A combination of navigation errors and recording errors can lead to Peary has only moved up to one point that is 50 to 100 km in front of the pole. (Source: Britannica)

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1. If you are at the North Pole, you would be at the same time in every time zone because all lines that differentiate the time zones different from the North Pole begin. (Source: The Washington Post)

2. The search for the northwest passage, which would save countless time and money in the trade between Europe and Asia, was one of the most difficult maritime challenges in the world and required a dangerous journey through tens of thousands of huge icebergs. It was only successfully navigated in 1906 when the legendary Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his crew went on the trip from Greenland to Alaska. It took three years. (Source: Britannica)

alt = “The northwest passage initially lasted three years: interesting facts about the Arctic”> Britannica/Fair Use The northwest passage initially lasted three years

1. The word "Arctic" comes from the Greek word for bear, Arktos. Allegedly, this does not refer to polar bears, but to two constellations that can be seen in the northern sky: Ursa minor (small bear) and Ursa major (large bear). (Source: Telegraph)

2. In the Arctic, the average winter temperatures can be up to -40 ° C (-40 ° f). Northern Greenland has registered temperatures of up to 70 ° C (-94 ° F). (Source: Britannica)

3. Members of the Proto-ESKIMO tribe are considered the first indigenous people of the Arctic. Today, more than four million people live in the Arctic, with the indigenous population being a minority. (Source: National Geographic)

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Northern lights seen on our trip to Tromsø

1. The Arctic Circle offers the opportunity to see the famous northern lights or the "Aurora Borealis". This breathtaking natural phenomenon occurs when invited particles of the sun are captured in the magnetic field of the earth, which leads to a great light show. (Source: National Geographic)

2. One of the most charming facts about the Arctic is that it is the only place on earth where you can find the narwal. These creatures are known as "unicorn of the sea". Male narwhales have a straight tusks that protrudes from the front of their head. These can be over 3m long. (Source: WWF)

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1. The Arctic is home to the world's largest safe secrecy. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is currently storing 980,000 samples to protect against future natural or humans caused by humans. (Source: Crop Trust)

2. The Greenland ice cream covers approximately 80 % of the land surface of Greenland. It is generally thicker than 2 km (3 km in its thickest point) and is the second largest ice cream body in the world. Only the Antarctic ice cream ceiling is larger. (Source: Britannica)

alt = “The Greenland ice shield covers 80 % of the country“> Atlas & Boots The Greenland ice shield covers 80 % of the country

1. The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean in the world. With 14 million square kilometers, it is about a tenth of the Pacific Ocean. (Source: National Geographic)

2. The Arctic warms up twice as quickly as elsewhere on earth. (Source: Noaa)

alt = “shrinking sea ice is a great danger for polar bears”> Vladsilver/Shutterstock shrinking sea ice is a great danger to polar bears

1. In 2018, the Arctic Ocean experienced the most secondary decline in sea ice since the start of the recordings. Parts of Greenland were exposed to the open sea for the first time in thousands of years. Sea ice cream determines the earth's climate. It is extremely bright and reflects 80 % of the incoming sunlight back into space. The dark surface of the liquid ocean, on the other hand, absorbs about 90 % of the solar radiation. (Source: NSIDC, National Geographic)

2. The loss of sea ice is a serious threat to polar bears. These marine mammals rely on the ice to hunt seals and are forced ashore to find food that is often just short. This means that polar bears are literally starving. (Source: WWF, National Geographic)

main picture: Gecko1968/Shutterstock

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