In our article we want to talk about what the Arctic is. Those who have long graduated from school, as a rule, can tell little about it right away. Let's recall a little school geography course.
What is the Arctic and Antarctic?
Both of these words mean parts of the globe located near the poles. Only one of these parts relates to the North Pole, and the other to the South. In general, it’s no wonder to get confused in words. And all because the words are similar in sound, and even one-root.
The words Arctic and Antarctic are of Greek origin, and more precisely, ancient Greek. The basis of the word - the root "arctos" means the bear. Why exactly a bear?
Most likely, the matter is in astronomy. Indeed, many constellations were called by the names of the heroes of ancient Greek myths: Centaurus, Orion, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Taurus, Cepheus. Including Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. So, it is in the constellation Ursa Minor that the North Star is located, which is practically located above the North Pole. This star accurately indicates the northern direction in our hemisphere (northern).
Where did the names come from
It is logical to assume that the name happened as follows. Kohl The North Star is located in Ursa Minor, and the she-bear is the arctos, indicates the rule of the north, hence the Arctic. So it turns out that the Arctic is the north of the Earth.
But Antarctica got its name based on the rules of Greek grammar, according to which the prefix “anti” has the opposite meaning. Here is such an assumption regarding the origin of the names Arctic and Antarctic.
Arctic
So what is the Arctic? This is an area of the Earth adjacent to the North Pole. It includes the outskirts of the continents of North America, Eurasia, almost the entire Arctic Ocean and islands, as well as some adjacent parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. From the south, the border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn along the Arctic Circle. It is 66 degrees and 33 minutes north latitude. In this case, we can say that the Arctic area is 21 million square kilometers.
The climatic conditions of the Arctic are slightly milder than the Antarctic, as ocean currents contribute to this.
Antarctic
Antarctica is the southern polar part of the globe, which is adjacent to the South Pole and includes Antarctica and parts of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. The climatic conditions of the Antarctic are more severe. Penguins live here.
Arctic border
Where does the Arctic end or start? The border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn, as we have already said, along the Arctic Circle. However, often cold (arctic) conditions are manifested in much more southern regions. Then, taking into account these areas, the Arctic area reaches 27 million square kilometers. So, its border will shift too.
The Arctic zone is a very rich region, despite the harsh climatic conditions. Colossal mineral reserves are concentrated here: silver, diamonds, gold, chromium, phosphorus and many others. The geographical position of the Arctic was determined by the fact that it belongs to the few parts of the world in which the reserves of hydrocarbon and mineral raw materials have remained untouched. In addition, the region is rich in oil and gas.
It should be noted that the southern border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn (coincides) along the southern border of the tundra.
In general, this is a rather interesting and vast region. And to talk about where the border of the Arctic can be for a long time. It is not so simple.
Although this is an independent region, the border of the Arctic is drawn differently. We have already mentioned one of the options. It is 66 degrees and 33 minutes north latitude. That is, the border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn along the Arctic Circle. To the north of this latitude, such an interesting phenomenon as polar day and polar night is observed. And this means that in this region in the summer the sun does not set for some time at all, and in winter the sun sometimes does not rise at all. Here is such an interesting feature.
From the point of view of climatic conditions, the border of the Arctic is drawn through the territory where the average July temperature does not exceed ten degrees. An interesting fact is that this is also the limit of vegetation, since to the north the trees practically do not survive.
The climatic and geographical border of the Arctic is traditionally held in different places. For example, Iceland is located much south of the Arctic Circle, and yet July temperatures there do not exceed 10 degrees.
Arctic lands
The territory of the Arctic, or rather, its land, has an area of 14 million square kilometers. These lands consist of the extreme northern possessions of a number of states. These are Russia, Greenland, Canada, the USA, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden.
The geographical position of the Arctic and caused such an interesting situation. I must say that Canada and the Russian Federation own the majority (80%), the United States - 4 percent, and about 16 percent went to the Scandinavian countries. The third part of the region is the Arctic Ocean, which washes the North Pole. Most of the year it is covered in ice.
Sometimes it’s not very important how the border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn from a geographical point of view when it comes to the fact that its parts belong to different countries. This territory can be divided into geographical regions: Zone of the Russian Federation, zone of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland and Fennoscandia.
In the Russian Arctic, Kolguev (island) belongs to , Severnaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Novosibirsk Islands, Wrangel Island, etc. In addition, the following territories are partially or fully owned by the Russian Arctic zone: Republic of Sakha, Arkhangelsk Region, Murmansk , Chukotka District, Yamalo-Nenets, Nenets and Taimyr Peninsulas.
What is the Arctic like?
Speaking about what the Arctic is, I want to note that this is not only snow ice, as is sometimes believed. In fact, the flora and fauna of this region is quite unique. At least 20 thousand different species of plants, fungi, animals and microorganisms inhabit the subarctic and the Arctic desert . Unique animals live here and plants grow that are not found anywhere else on Earth. Even in such harsh conditions, national parks are created to protect nature. The climate of these latitudes is suitable for the habitat of certain species of fauna and flora. For example, in the Arctic there are 25% of species from the order of salmonids, about 12% of lichens and 6% of mosses.
Naturally, representatives of flora and fauna are completely unevenly distributed over natural zones. Insects, for example, living here, make up half the species diversity of the entire planet. Oddly enough, the most hardy are beetles and flies that can withstand temperatures up to minus sixty degrees. Bumblebees and mosquitoes of the Arctic Pollinate local flowers, and there are practically no bees there. As you can see, the Arctic is not a lifeless region, as many people think.
In the view of people, there was a stereotype that the border of the Arctic traditionally separates permafrost from the ordinary world, but in reality this is not so at all. As you can see, there is life even in harsh climatic conditions.
Plant world
The plant world is characterized by a mixture of relatively southern (Asian and American) plants, arctic and relict. On the southern slopes of Chukotka there are steppe sites. Scientists suggest that once the entire Arctic was a continuous steppe (at the time of the mammoths). The richest region of vegetation in the Arctic is the coast of Chukotka and the island of Wrangel. It is difficult to imagine, but forty species of animals and plants that live on the skeleton are not found anywhere else on Earth.
The vegetation is represented by cereals, polar poppies, sedge, willows, lichens, dwarf birches, liverworts, mosses (the famous reindeer moss - deer moss grows here). Chaun Bay on the coast of Chukotka is generally a unique place. Here are thickets of seaweed and relics of past, warmer centuries.
Arctic plants are the basis for human and animal life in these parts. Russula, cloudberries, lichens and medicinal herbs are used for food. In Iceland, for example, from ancient times they made flour and baked bread from an ordinary lichen (called Centuary). It leads in the content of microelements, vitamins, polysaccharides, various acids. He also acts as an indicator of the purity of the environment.
Animal world
A description of the Arctic would be incomplete without mention of the animal kingdom. In these parts the most beautiful animal of the north lives - the reindeer, which is of great importance in the life of small indigenous peoples. For nomads, deer is a source of nutrition - it is milk, meat, skins, antlers. All these products make it possible to adapt and live in very low temperatures. Venison is a very valuable product, one hundred grams of meat is enough to provide vitamins and useful substances for a whole day. In addition, venison saves from scurvy, vitamin deficiency, metabolic disorders and anemia.
People domesticated deer a thousand years ago, their breeding has become a traditional occupation of the northern peoples. But the peoples of North America did not domesticate the beast, they prefer to just hunt caribou.
The largest number of reindeers lives in the Yamal-Nenets okrug, thousands of animals are grazed there.
Arctic musk ox
Musk oxen live in the Arctic - the largest ungulates, they are relatives of mammoths. Animals are remarkably adapted to life in harsh conditions. Warm long coat protects them from cold and wind, they are not particularly demanding on food. Musk oxen have long been listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. Currently, they live only on the Taimyr Peninsula and Wrangel Island. On the Canadian islands, their numbers are constantly growing. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, they lived in Alaska. Scientists suggest that animals could change their habitat due to global warming, because they could not live in conditions of constant rainfall that wet their wool. Hunters also affected the decrease in the number of animals. In the natural habitat, polar wolves pose a serious danger to both deer and musk ox.
Fur fishing is traditional for the native inhabitants of the Arctic, because there are a lot of foxes, ermines, wolverines, polar wolves and arctic foxes.
An important part of the food chain are rodents and hares. Hamsters lemmings eat one and a half times more food per day than they weigh.
Bird world
About half of the species of coastal birds of the whole world live in the Arctic, it must be said that they are a strong component between marine and coastal systems. It is difficult to imagine the coast without "bird markets", the largest colonies of gulls, fulmars, cormorants, chistiks, guillemots are located here.
In the short summer months, 280 bird species nest along the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Rare and common birds, having grown offspring, fly to Africa, Europe, Antarctica, Asia. Taimyr, for example, has long been considered an important migration site for waders and anseriformes. In the Arctic, the largest population of white geese lives, which settles on Wrangel Island. And in Yakutia, white crane and Siberian Crane live - one of the rarest species on earth.
Marine mammals
Symbols of the Arctic are marine animals. However, uncontrolled human activity has led to the fact that some species were almost completely exterminated. The most important animal of the harsh region is the polar bear. In general, there are 19 populations, each of which consists of 22 thousand animals. Bears lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle, they breed on the shores of Chukotka, Cape Desires on Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land. There are large walrus coastal rookeries on Wrangel Island. This is the only safe place for them.
Hunting for a polar bear has been officially banned for a long time. But the inhabitants of Greenland and Canada do not quite honor the ban by issuing hunting licenses, which is why up to 350 individuals die annually.
In Alaska, permission is also issued annually to catch minke whale and bowhead whale.
Instead of an afterword
As part of the article, we talked about the coldest regions of the planet. As we see, it doesn’t matter where the border of the Arctic is drawn on the map, behind it there is still life, even if it is at very low temperatures. Even in these parts there is an animal and plant world.