|
| (Click to enlarge) |
| Arctic Circle |
The parallel of latitude approximately 66°33′ north. It forms the boundary between the North Temperate and North Frigid zones.
Arctic Circle
| Dictionary: Arctic Circle |
The parallel of latitude approximately 66°33′ north. It forms the boundary between the North Temperate and North Frigid zones.
| 5min Related Video: Arctic Circle |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Arctic Circle |
For more information on Arctic Circle, visit Britannica.com.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Arctic Circle |
Arctic Circle, imaginary circle on the surface of the earth at 661/2°N latitude, i.e., 231/2° south of the North Pole. It marks the northernmost point at which the sun can be seen at the winter solstice (about Dec. 22) and the southernmost point of the northern polar regions at which the midnight sun is visible.
| Geography: Arctic Circle |
Imaginary circle around the Earth about three-quarters of the way from the equator to the North Pole. North of this line is the “Land of the Midnight Sun,” where the sun never sets on the summer solstice.
- The Arctic Circle corresponds to the Antarctic Circle in the Southern Hemisphere.
| Wikipedia: Arctic Circle |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2006) |
For the fast food restaurant chain, see Arctic Circle Restaurants.
|
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. In 2009, it is the parallel of latitude that runs approximately 66° 33′ 39″ (or 66.56083°) north of the Equator. The region north of this circle is known as the Arctic, and the zone just to the south is called the Northern Temperate Zone. The equivalent Polar circle in the Southern Hemisphere is called the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southern extremity of the polar day (24-hour sunlit day, often referred to as the "midnight sun") and polar night (24-hour sunless night). North of the Arctic Circle, the sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year and below the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year. On the Arctic Circle those events occur, in principle, exactly once per year, at the June and December solstices, respectively.
In fact, because of atmospheric refraction and because the sun appears as a disk and not a point, part of the midnight sun may be seen on the night of the summer solstice up to about 50′ (90 kilometres (56 mi)) south of the Arctic Circle; similarly, on the day of the winter solstice, part of the sun may be seen up to about 50′ north of the Arctic Circle. That is true at sea level; those limits increase with elevation above sea level although in mountainous regions, there is often no direct view of the horizon.
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed, but directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000 year period,[1] notably due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. The Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 m (49 ft) per year, see Circle of latitude for more information.
Contents |
Geography
Relatively few people live north of the Arctic Circle due to the Arctic climate. The three largest communities above the Arctic Circle are situated in Russia; Murmansk (population 325,100), Norilsk (135,000), and Vorkuta (85,000). Tromsø (in Norway) has about 62,000 inhabitants, whereas Rovaniemi (in Finland), which lies slightly south of the line, has slightly fewer than 58,000. Arctic Village, Alaska was recorded as having 152 residents in the 2000 United States Census.
The Arctic Circle passes through the Arctic Ocean, the Scandinavian Peninsula, North Asia, Northern America and Greenland. The land on the Arctic Circle is divided among eight countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (i.e. Alaska), Canada, Denmark (i.e. Greenland) and passes just north of Iceland.
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the Arctic Circle passes through:
See also
- Antarctic Circle
- Arctic haze
- Scott Polar Research Institute
- Territorial claims in the Arctic
- Tropic of Cancer
- Tropic of Capricorn
References
External links
 |
Look up arctic circle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Terra Incognita: Exploration of the Canadian Arctic—Historical essay about early expeditions to the Canadian Arctic, illustrated with maps, photographs and drawings
|
|||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Arctic Circle |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - Nordpolsområdet
Nederlands (Dutch)
noordpoolcirkel
Deutsch (German)
n. - Nördlicher Polarkreis
العربيه (Arabic)
الدائره القطبيه الشماليه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - החוג הארקטי
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Learn More
 | polar circle |
| Vesterålen |
| north frigid zone (geography) |
 | Is the arctic circle a great circle? Read answer... |
| Is Canada within the Arctic Circle? Read answer... |
| Can earthquakes happen in the arctic circle? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Why is the Arctic Circle called a circle? |
| Ano ang arctic circle? |
| Is there a city on the arctic circle? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Geography. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Arctic Circle". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- How are the arctic and the arctic circle alike?
- Is arctic circle a great circle?
- What is the Arctic circle?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- What is a Arctic Circle?
- Arctic circle is to?
- What is to the arctic circle?
- Where is the arctic circle?
- Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle?
Mentioned in
- polar circle
- Vesterålen
- north frigid zone (geography)
- subarctic
- Arctic Zone (geography)
- north temperate zone (climatology)
- Seward Peninsula (peninsula of western Alaska projecting)
- sea swallow
- Lofoten Islands
- Dempster Highway
- Greenland (Geography)
- Polyarnyy
- Arctic Ocean (Geography)
- Iceland (Geography)
