To be precise, the arctic circle is an imaginary line of latitude around the arctic region. Due to the ice coverage, we still know very little about this area of the globe consisting mostly of the frozen Arctic Ocean.
Furthest North You Can Go On Planet Earth
If one were to view the globe from the top, they would be viewing the northernmost region of Earth. This geographical north pole of the world is surrounded by an area that is known as the Arctic Circle.
The area within the Arctic Circle mostly consists of the arctic ocean which remains frozen the majority time of the year. So, the northern pole is located in the centre of this imaginary Circle and everything in between is called the Arctic.
Coordinates of Arctic Circle
The Earth is divided into five major circles of latitude. It is Circle, at the topmost part of the globe, is the first of these five major circles. To be precise the arctic circle is located at 66.5 degrees north of the equator.
One can answer the question about where the Arctic lies by pointing out that it is located exactly opposite of the Antarctic Circle. Similarly, the North pole is the direct opposite of the South pole of Earth.
Also Read: What Do Arctic Hares Eat
Coldest Part of the World? Not Really.
Some may assume that the Northernmost area of the globe would also be the “coldest”. However, that is not true. The Circle is made up of the Arctic Ocean which is surrounded by countries like Russia, Norway, Canada, Iceland, Sweden, and the USA. This region makes up around 4% of the planet Earth.
Antarctic Circle is considered to be the coldest part of the world instead.
The Sun And The Seasons Of Arctic Circle
The Arctic region experiences only two seasons throughout the year- winter and summer. The reason for this is where the arctic circle is located on the map. In summer, the Earth tilts towards the sun and orbits around it.
During this time the North Pole and everything within the Circle experiences high temperatures (above 0 degree Celsius). The further away one goes from the North Pole the higher the temperatures they’ll find.
This is because the sun’s rays do not directly hit the north or south poles. On the other hand, in winters, it gets colder in the Arctic as temperatures fall below zero in absence of sunrays as the earth gets tilted away from the sun after months of orbiting. So, it is the point on earth where the sun’s rays do not directly fall.
The Midnight Sun
An interesting fact to remember is that during summer the sun does not set in the area north of the it. However, it is completely dark throughout winters as the sun does not rise. So, the Arctic Circle is the imaginary boundary line around the region where the sun does not rise for half of the year and the doesn’t set for the rest of the year.
Also Read: What Animals Live in the Arctic
The arctic circle is truly a fascinating part of the world. Would you consider living in a place where the sun never rises in winters or never sets in the summer? That would be a tough life indeed.