The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region border

The Arctic is the area around the Earth's North Pole. The Arctic includes parts of Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Lapland, and Norway (including Svalbard), as well as the Arctic Ocean. The 10°C (50°F) July isotherm is commonly used to define the border of the Arctic region.

The Arctic is also known as the Land of the Midnight Sun as it is within the Arctic Circle. The name Arctic comes from the ancient Greek αρκτος, meaning 'bear', and is a reference to the constellations of the Great Bear and Little Bear, which are located near the North Star (which is actually part of the Little Bear).

The Arctic has never been under the political control of any nation although some nation's militaries have attached a strategic importance to the region. In the 1950s and 1960s, the arctic was often used by submarines to test new weapons, sonar equipment, and depth testing.

During the Cold War, the Arctic region was extensively monitored by the United States military, since it was the opinion of the said military that the first warnings of a Soviet Union nuclear strike would have been indicated by ICBMs launched over the North Pole towards the United States. The United States placed such importance on the region that two military decorations, the Arctic Service Ribbon and Coast Guard Arctic Service Medal, were established for military duty performed within the arctic circle.

Arctic cultures:

• Aleut
• Athabaskan
• Chukchi
• Inuit
• Inupiaq
• Nenets
• Pomor
• Saami
• Yup'ik

External link: Native peoples

References

• WordReference.com Dictionary Etymology
• CIA World Factbook 2002 - Arctic Region Large version of the arctic region map
• NOAA Arctic Theme Page Comprehensive Arctic Resource
• NOAA Bering Climate and Ecosystem Comprehensive resource on the Bering Sea with viewable oceanographic, atmospheric, climatic, biological and fisheries data with ecosystem relevance, recent trends, essays on key Bering Sea issues, maps, photos, animals and more.
• Arctic time series: The Unaami Data collection Viewable interdisciplinary, diverse collection of Arctic variables from different geographic regions and data types.
• Arctic exploration and history
• Arctic research

External links

• Arctic Environmental Atlas, interactive map resource

See also

• Antarctica
• Polar climate
• Canadian arctic islands