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Geography & Population

The Arctic covers an enormous region, spanning more than 30 million square kilometers—one sixth of the planet’s landmass—and 24 time zones. Its population of about four million includes, in addition to Caucasians, over thirty different indigenous peoples and dozens of languages.

While it is considered a distinct region, the Arctic can be defined in a number of different ways. From an astronomical viewpoint, the Arctic represents the area north of 66° 33’ North latitude (the Arctic Circle), which marks the boundary of the “land of the midnight sun.” Above this latitude the sun remains above the horizon all day for a period during summer and stays below the horizon all day for a period during winter.

In terms of climate, the Arctic is regarded as the region where the average temperature for July remains below 10°C. This isotherm approximately traces the ‘tree line’—beyond which conditions are generally too severe for trees to thrive. The geographic and climatic boundaries for the Arctic differ somewhat. For example, although Iceland lies south of the Arctic Circle, it falls largely below the 10°C isotherm; also, Arctic Council working groups use ecological and other factors in defining “Arctic.”

The Arctic’s total land area—approximately 14 million square kilometers—consists of the northernmost territories of the eight Arctic states: Russia, Canada, Greenland (an autonomous country under Denmark), the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The Russian Federation and Canada account for nearly 80 percent of the land; the Nordic countries, about 16 percent; and the United States some 4 percent. The Arctic Ocean, which overlies the North Pole and is largely frozen for much of the year, occupies about one-third of the region

Related Photos

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  • A herd of muskoxen search for food at the Wrangel Island Reserve, located on the Arctic tundra.
    Herd of muskoxen search for food
  • The Professor Vize research ship.
    Professor Vize research ship
  • Photographer Boris Korobeinikov’s “Moving from the Arctic to a Zoo” on display at the APN-67 exhibition.
    Photograph by APN’s Boris Korobeinikov
  • Followed closely by its young, this beautiful marine animal glides effortlessly through the Arctic.
    Beluga
  • The team of polar explorers led by Ivan Papanin on a drifting ice floe, newsreel frame, 1937.
    Polar exploration team led by Ivan Papanin on drifting ice floe
  • Crews of the Pioner Yakutii and Arktika ships playing football on the ice of the Kara Sea.
    Playing football on ice on Kara Sea
  • Dogsleds on the Tvinpol-95 Arctic expedition
    Dogsleds on the Tvinpol-95 Arctic expedition
  • The icebreaker Krasin in the sea ice.
    Icebreaker Krasin
  • The Soviet Mirny station was the site of the 34th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, from the fall of 1988 to the spring of 1989.
    View at Soviet Mirny station
  • An Antonov An-72 aircraft on the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
    Franz Josef Land archipelago
  • A Chukchi shaman performing a ritual.
    Shamanic ritual
  • The edge of the ice floe.
    Russian polar explorers descend on drifting ice floe

No single country owns the geographic North Pole or the Arctic Ocean area surrounding it. However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, all coastal nations have jurisdiction over territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles from their shores. Furthermore, the waters that cover 200 nautical miles from shore are considered that country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, full national sovereignty does not apply to these zones.