Arctic– World’s Last Great Wilderness

The Arctic is situated to the north of the Arctic Circle at the northernmost part of Earth. It comprises of the Arctic Ocean, small northern islands, Russia and 7 other countries of the U.S. and Europe.

Arctic is derived from the Greek work ‘Arktikos’ which means ‘near the bear’ and refers to the constellation of stars called Ursa Minor containing the North Star. ‘Ursa’ in Latin means ‘bear’. It is also called as ‘the land of the midnight sun’ as there is at least one day of 24 hours each year full of darkness in winter and one day full of light in summer.

If you ever visit the Arctic, it isan ocean surrounded by land mostly covered in white sheets of ice. However, the water is just one foot under the Arctic ice cap which traps heat and keeps the surrounding air warm. Its climate is extremely cold with temperatures as low as -94.7 degrees Celsius as the area is wrapped with ice. The global warming has increased the temperature which has led to the melting of ice.

The Arctic ocean covers 5.4 million square miles or 14 million square kilometers, the smallest among all oceans. It consists of 10% of the world’s fresh waters. There is some wildlife that exists like the Whales, Polar Bear, Walrus, Arctic fox, and Narwhals (unicorn of the sea) as well as migratory birds.

Primary inhabitants of the Arctic consist of the Eskimos (Inuits), Saami and Russians, with a total population of exceeding 2 million. The natives are the Eskimos who have lived in the region for over 9,000 years and have adapted themselves to the harsh climatic conditions.

Many Eskimos have discontinued their traditional occupation of hunting and fishing and now work mostly in the oil fields as it is rich in mineral resourceswhile some others support the villages.