Polar Regions Our polar expeditions are among the most awe-inspiring journeys you'll ever make. Choose from the Arctic, home to polar bear and walrus, or the towering icebergs and penguin rookeries of Antarctica. Mar 28, 2019 The temperature commonly hovers around -67 degrees Fahrenheit (-55 degrees Celsius); in 2010, some spots on East Antarctica’s polar plateau plunged to a record-breaking -144 degrees F. Now, however, parts of the East Antarctic are melting. Research into what’s happening in East Antarctica is still in its early stages.
•••Koonyongyut/iStock/Getty Images
By Amy Harris
Eight countries, plus Antarctica, lie in polar zones -- that is, they possess portions of land located within the Arctic or Antarctic circles. These invisible lines of latitude loop around the globe at approximately 66.5 degrees North and South, respectively. Although no individual nations are contained fully within these boundaries, continents with countries whose land falls within polar zones include North America, Europe, Asia and, of course, Antarctica.
North American Countries
In North America, the nations of the United States and Canada own land areas in the Arctic. The only U.S. state containing land within the Arctic Circle is Alaska. In contrast, Canada’s polar regions are quite vast, encompassing about two-fifths of its entire land mass and two-thirds of its total maritime coastline. The historic residents of North America’s polar zones are the Inuits, who have made their livelihoods hunting and fishing in the harsh climate for more than 9,000 years, though many modernly work in oil fields and support villages.
European Countries
The exclusively European nations possessing land north of the Arctic Circle are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Although Denmark proper doesn’t lie within the polar zone, its largest self-governing overseas administrative division -- Greenland -- does. In addition to a portion of the Norwegian mainland, Norway’s Arctic territories also include the islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Vikings hailing from Norway were the European polar region’s first explorers, establishing a permanent settlement on Iceland in the ninth century and a long-lived settlement in Greenland in the 10th century.
Russia's Lands
Although part of Russia’s polar lands lies on the European continent, most parts lie within the Asian continent, where they are often known as Siberia. In addition to its vast mainland, Russian Arctic possessions include multiple islands and archipelagos in the Arctic Ocean. As of the time of this publication, Russia is seeking to expand its Arctic territory, with oil and natural gas extraction its prime impetus. During 2013 and 2014, Russia has expanded its military presence in its polar areas.
The Antarctic
Antarctica’s landmass lies almost exclusively within the Antarctic Circle. It is the coldest place on the planet, and 98 percent of it is permanently covered by ice and snow. Internet download manager free download full version registered free. Antarctica isn’t owned by one single country. In 1961, the Antarctic Treaty established the continent as a natural reserve devoted to scientific study and exploration. At the time of this publication, 46 countries have agreed to the Antarctic Treaty, indefinitely suspending their territorial claims to the continent, and it remains an area of peaceful international cooperation.
- Koonyongyut/iStock/Getty Images
(Redirected from Polar region)
Visualization of the ice and snow covering Earth's northern and southern polar regions
Northern Hemisphere permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in purple
The polar regions, also called the frigid zones, of Earth are the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles (the North and South Poles), lying within the polar circles. These high latitudes are dominated by Earth's polar ice caps: the northern resting on the Arctic Ocean and the southern on the continent of Antarctica.
- 1Terrestrial polar regions
Terrestrial polar regions[edit]
Definitions[edit]
The Arctic has various definitions, including the region north of the Arctic Circle (currently Epoch 2010 at 66°33'44' N), or the region north of 60° north latitude, or the region from the North Pole south to the timberline. The Antarctic is usually defined as south of 60° south latitude, or the continent of Antarctica. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty uses the former definition.
The two polar regions are distinguished from the other two climatic and biomatic belts of Earth, a tropics belt near the equator, and two middle latitude regions located between the tropics and polar regions.
Climate[edit]
Polar regions receive less intense solar radiation than the other parts of Earth because the sun's energy arrives at an oblique angle, spreading over a larger area, and also travels a longer distance through the Earth's atmosphere in which it may be absorbed, scattered or reflected, which is the same thing that causes winters to be colder than the rest of the year in temperate areas.
The axial tilt of the Earth has a major effect on climate of the polar regions. Since the polar regions are the farthest from the equator, they receive the least amount of sunlight and are therefore frigid. The large amount of ice and snow also reflects a large part of what little sunlight the Polar regions receive, contributing to the cold. Polar regions are characterized by the polar climate, extremely cold temperatures, heavy glaciation wherever there is sufficient precipitation to form permanent ice, and extreme variations in daylight hours, with twenty-four hours of daylight in summer, and complete darkness at mid-winter.
This page is only for information purpose. Transit (C) VisaDisclaimer – Visas Avenue does not provide any guidance or assistance on USA employment/work visa. I visited them in early 2019 for PR purpose after getting in touch with few other consultants and after meeting their executive Mr. Venezuelan transit uk.
Circumpolar Arctic region[edit]
North polar region polar bears
There are many settlements in Earth's north polar region. Countries with claims to Arctic regions are: the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Russia. Arctic circumpolar populations often share more in common with each other than with other populations within their national boundaries. As such, the northern polar region is diverse in human settlements and cultures.
Antarctica and the Southern sea[edit]
South polar region penguin
The southern polar region has no permanent human habitation.[1]McMurdo Station is the largest research station in Antarctica, run by the United States. Other notable stations include Palmer Station and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station (United States), Esperanza Base and Marambio Base (Argentina), Scott Base (New Zealand), and Vostok Station (Russia).
While there are no indigenous human cultures, there is a complex ecosystem, especially along Antarctica's coastal zones. Coastal upwelling provides abundant nutrients which feeds krill, a type of marine crustacea, which in turn feeds a complex of living creatures from penguins to blue whales.
References[edit]
- ^Matthew Teller (20 June 2014). 'Why do so many nations want a piece of Antarctica?'. BBC. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
External links[edit]
- Polar regions at Curlie
Further reading[edit]
- Victor, Paul-Émile. Man and the Conquest of the Poles, trans. by Scott Sullivan. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1963.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polar_regions_of_Earth&oldid=919406356'