Arctic Circle - wikipedia Arctic Circle This article is about one of the five major circles of latitude. For other uses, see Arctic Circle ( disambiguation ). Map of the Arctic, with the Arctic Circle in blue and the July 10 ° C mean isotherm in red The Arctic Circle is the most northerly of the abstract five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of the Earth. It marks the northernmost point at which the noon sun is just visible on the northern winter solstice and the southernmost point at which the midnight sun is just visible on the northern summer solstice. The region north of this circle is known as the Arctic, and the zone just to the south is called the Northern Temperate Zone. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun is above the horizon for twenty - four continuous hours at least once per year ( and therefore visible at midnight ) and below the horizon for twenty - four continuous hours at least once per year ( and therefore not visible at noon ) ; this is also true within the equivalent polar circle in the Southern Hemisphere, the Antarctic Circle. The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed ; as of 25 October 2017, it runs 66 ° 33 ′ 46.9 '' north of the Equator. Its latitude depends on the Earth 's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of 2 ° over a 40,000 - year period, due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. Consequently, the Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 metres ( 49 feet ) per year. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Midnight sun and polar night 3 Human habitation 4 Geography 4.1 Climate 4.2 Sites along the Arctic Circle 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Etymology The word `` arctic '' comes from the Greek word ἀρκτικός ( arktikos : `` near the Bear, northern '' ) and that from the word ἄρκτος ( arktos : `` bear '' ). Midnight sun and polar night Relationship of Earth 's axial tilt ( ε ) to the tropical and polar circles Further information : Midnight sun and Polar night The Arctic Circle is the southernmost latitude in the Northern Hemisphere at which the sun can remain continuously above or below the horizon for twenty - four hours ; as a result, at least once each year at any location within the Arctic Circle the sun is visible at local midnight, and at least once it is not visible at local noon. Directly on the Arctic Circle these events occur, in principle, exactly once per year : at the June and December solstices, respectively. However, because of atmospheric refraction and mirages, 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 northern summer solstice up to about 50 minutes ( ′ ) ( 90 km ( 56 mi ) ) south of the Arctic Circle ; similarly, on the day of the northern 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 true horizon. Human habitation Cylindrical projection showing the Arctic Circle in red Further information : Arctic peoples Only four million people live north of the Arctic Circle due to the severe climate ; nonetheless, some areas have been settled for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, who today make up 10 % of the region 's population. Tens of thousands of years ago, waves of people migrated from eastern Siberia across the Bering Strait into North America to settle. Much later, in the historic period, there has been migration into some Arctic areas by Europeans and other immigrants. The largest communities north of the Arctic Circle are situated in Russia and Norway : Murmansk ( population 307,257 ), Norilsk ( 175,365 ), Tromsø ( 71,295 ) and Vorkuta ( 59,231 ). Rovaniemi ( 61,329 ) in Finland is the largest settlement in the immediate vicinity of the Arctic Circle, lying 6 kilometres ( 4 miles ) south of the line. In contrast, the largest North American community north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut ( Greenland ), has approximately 5,000 inhabitants. Of the Canadian and United States Arctic communities, Barrow, Alaska is the largest settlement with about 4,000 inhabitants. Geography Map all coordinates using OSM Map all coordinates using Google Export all coordinates as KML Export all coordinates as GPX Map all microformatted coordinates Place data as RDF The countries transcending the Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is roughly 16,000 kilometres ( 9,900 mi ). The area north of the Circle is about 20,000,000 km ( 7,700,000 sq mi ) and covers roughly 4 % of Earth 's surface. The Arctic Circle passes through the Arctic Ocean, the Scandinavian Peninsula, North Asia, Northern America and Greenland. The land within the Arctic Circle is divided among eight countries : Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States ( Alaska ), Canada ( Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut ) Denmark ( Greenland ), and Iceland ( where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey ). Climate Further information : Climate of the Arctic The climate inside the Arctic Circle is generally cold, but the coastal areas of Norway have a generally mild climate as a result of the Gulf Stream, which makes the ports of northern Norway and northwest Russia ice - free all year long. In the interior, summers can be quite warm, while winters are extremely cold. For example, summer temperatures in Norilsk, Russia will sometimes reach as high as 30 ° C ( 86 ° F ), while the winter temperatures frequently fall below − 50 ° C ( − 58 ° F ). Sites along the Arctic Circle Starting at the prime meridian and heading eastwards, the Arctic Circle passes through : Co-ordinates Country, territory or sea Notes 66 ° 34 ′ N 000 ° 00 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 0.000 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 0.000 ﻿ ( Prime Meridian ) Arctic Ocean Norwegian Sea 66 ° 34 ′ N 12 ° 48 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 12.800 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 12.800 ﻿ ( Nordland County, Norway ) Norway Nordland County 66 ° 34 ′ N 15 ° 31 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 15.517 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 15.517 ﻿ ( Norrbotten County, Sweden ) Sweden Norrbotten County ( Provinces of Lapland and Norrbotten ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 23 ° 51 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 23.850 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 23.850 ﻿ ( Lapland Province, Finland ) Finland Lapland Region, crosses Rovaniemi Airport 66 ° 34 ′ N 29 ° 28 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 29.467 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 29.467 ﻿ ( Karelia, Russia ) Russia Republic of Karelia Murmansk Oblast -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 31 ° 36 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 31.600 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 31.600 ﻿ ( Murmansk, Russia ) Republic of Karelia -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 32 ° 37 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 32.617 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 32.617 ﻿ ( Karelia, Russia ) Murmansk Oblast ( Grand Island ) -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 33 ° 10 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 33.167 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 33.167 ﻿ ( Murmansk, Russia ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 33 ° 25 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 33.417 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 33.417 ﻿ ( Kandalaksha Gulf, White Sea ) White Sea Kandalaksha Gulf 66 ° 34 ′ N 34 ° 28 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 34.467 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 34.467 ﻿ ( Murmansk Oblast, Russia ) Russia Murmansk Oblast ( Kola Peninsula ) -- for about 7 km ( 4.3 mi ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 34 ° 38 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 34.633 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 34.633 ﻿ ( Kandalaksha Gulf, White Sea ) White Sea Kandalaksha Gulf 66 ° 34 ′ N 35 ° 0 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 35.000 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 35.000 ﻿ ( Murmansk Oblast, Kola Peninsula, Russia ) Russia Murmansk Oblast ( Kola Peninsula ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 40 ° 42 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 40.700 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 40.700 ﻿ ( White Sea ) White Sea 66 ° 34 ′ N 44 ° 23 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 44.383 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 44.383 ﻿ ( Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia ) Russia Nenets Autonomous Okrug Komi Republic -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 50 ° 51 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 50.850 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 50.850 ﻿ ( Komi Republic, Russia ) Yamalo - Nenets Autonomous Okrug -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 63 ° 48 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 63.800 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 63.800 ﻿ ( Yamalo - Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 71 ° 5 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 71.083 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 71.083 ﻿ ( Gulf of Ob ) Gulf of Ob 66 ° 34 ′ N 72 ° 27 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 72.450 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 72.450 ﻿ ( Yamalo - Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia ) Russia Yamalo - Nenets Autonomous Okrug Krasnoyarsk Krai -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 83 ° 3 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 83.050 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 83.050 ﻿ ( Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia ) Sakha Republic -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 106 ° 18 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 106.300 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 106.300 ﻿ ( Sakha Republic, Russia ) Chukotka Autonomous Okrug -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 158 ° 38 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 158.633 ° E ﻿ / 66.567 ; 158.633 ﻿ ( Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 171 ° 1 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 171.017 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 171.017 ﻿ ( Chukchi Sea, Arctic Ocean ) Arctic Ocean Chukchi Sea 66 ° 34 ′ N 164 ° 38 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 164.633 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 164.633 ﻿ ( Seward Peninsula, Alaska, United States ) United States Alaska ( Seward Peninsula ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 163 ° 44 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 163.733 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 163.733 ﻿ ( Kotzebue Sound, Arctic Ocean ) Arctic Ocean Kotzebue Sound 66 ° 34 ′ N 161 ° 56 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 161.933 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 161.933 ﻿ ( Alaska, United States ) United States Alaska -- passing through Selawik Lake 66 ° 34 ′ N 141 ° 0 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 141.000 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 141.000 ﻿ ( Yukon, Canada ) Canada Yukon Northwest Territories -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 133 ° 36 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 133.600 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 133.600 ﻿ ( Northwest Territories, Canada ), passing through the Great Bear Lake Nunavut -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 115 ° 56 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 115.933 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 115.933 ﻿ ( Nunavut, Canada ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 82 ° 59 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 82.983 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 82.983 ﻿ ( Foxe Basin, Hudson Bay ) Canada Foxe Basin, Nunavut 66 ° 34 ′ N 73 ° 25 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 73.417 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 73.417 ﻿ ( Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada ) Canada Nunavut ( Baffin Island ), passing through Nettilling Lake 66 ° 30 ′ N 65 ° 29 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.500 ° N 65.483 ° W ﻿ / 66.500 ; - 65.483 ﻿ ( Baffin Island, Nunavut ) Canada Nunavut ( Baffin Island ), passing through Auyuittuq National Park ( sign location ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 61 ° 24 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 61.400 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 61.400 ﻿ ( Davis Strait, Atlantic Ocean ) Atlantic Ocean Davis Strait 66 ° 34 ′ N 53 ° 16 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 53.267 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 53.267 ﻿ ( Greenland ) Greenland Kingdom of Denmark, passing through Kangerlussuaq Fjord 66 ° 34 ′ N 37 ° 0 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 37.000 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 37.000 ﻿ ( Greenland ) Greenland Kingdom of Denmark, passing through Schweizerland 66 ° 34 ′ N 34 ° 9 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 34.150 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 34.150 ﻿ ( Denmark Strait, Atlantic Ocean ) Atlantic Ocean Denmark Strait Greenland Sea -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 26 ° 18 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 26.300 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 26.300 ﻿ ( Greenland Sea ) 66 ° 34 ′ N 18 ° 1 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 18.017 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 18.017 ﻿ ( Grímsey, Iceland ) Iceland Island of Grímsey 66 ° 34 ′ N 17 ° 59 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 17.983 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 17.983 ﻿ ( Greenland Sea, Atlantic Ocean ) Atlantic Ocean Greenland Sea Norwegian Sea -- from 66 ° 34 ′ N 12 ° 32 ′ W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.567 ° N 12.533 ° W ﻿ / 66.567 ; - 12.533 ﻿ ( Norwegian Sea ) A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle in Alaska Arctic Circle line in Rovaniemi, Finland Aurora Borealis above Arctic Circle sign along the Dempster Highway in Yukon at 66 ° 33 ′ 55 '' N 136 ° 18 ′ 26 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 66.565325 ° N 136.307169 ° W ﻿ / 66.565325 ; - 136.307169 A sign on the Vikingen island marking the Arctic Circle in Norway The Arctic Circle on Grímsey in Iceland Arctic Circle sign by the Inland Line railway, Sweden See also Arctic portal Circumpolar circle Arctic Cooperation and Politics Territorial claims in the Arctic Arctic haze Scott Polar Research Institute Antarctic Circle Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn References Jump up ^ `` Obliquity of the Ecliptic ( Eps Mean ) ''. Neoprogrammics.com. Retrieved 2014 - 05 - 13. Jump up ^ Berger, A.L. ( 1976 ). `` Obliquity and Precession for the Last 5000000 Years ''. Astronomy and Astrophysics. 51 : 127 -- 135. Bibcode : 1976A&A... 51... 127B. Jump up ^ Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott. `` Arktikos. '' A Greek - English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library. Jump up ^ Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott. `` Arktos. '' A Greek - English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library. Jump up ^ Burn, Chris. The Polar Night ( PDF ). The Aurora Research Institute. Retrieved 28 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` Arctic Population ''. www.athropolis.com. Jump up ^ Nuttall, Mark ( 18 November 2004 ). Encyclopedia of the Arctic Volumes 1, 2 and 3. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 978 - 1579584368. Retrieved 26 July 2016. Jump up ^ William M. Marsh ; Martin M. Kaufman ( 2012 ). Physical Geography : Great Systems and Global Environments. Cambridge University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978 - 0 - 521 - 76428 - 5. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arctic Circle. 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 Temporal Epoch Calculations © 2006 by James Q. Jacobs Download : Epoch v2009. xls ( modify D4 ) Useful constants '' See : Obliquity of the ecliptic Arctic topics History Arctic research Exploration of the Arctic History of whaling Government Arctic Council Arctic cooperation and politics Arctic Ocean Conference Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Ilulissat Declaration Inuit Circumpolar Council Saami Council Territorial claims in the Arctic Geography Arctic Circle Arctic ecology Arctic Ocean Arctic Cyclone Arctic geography terminology Greenland ice sheet Impact craters of the Arctic North Pole Populated places in the Arctic Tundra Nordicity Regions Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Climate Arctic Climate Impact Assessment Arctic dipole anomaly Arctic sea ice ecology and history Arctic ice pack Arctic sea ice decline Climate of Alaska Polar climate Effects of global warming on marine mammals Polar amplification Global warming in the Arctic Fauna Walrus Narwhal Bowhead whale Polar bear Arctic fox Snowy owl Reindeer Caribou Beluga whale Lemming Muskox Ribbon seal Bearded seal Hooded seal Harp seal Ringed seal Flora Arctic ecology Arctic vegetation Tundra Culture Arctic peoples Subarctic peoples Northern Indigenous Peoples of Russia Evenks Inuit Chukotka Koryaks Nenets Khanty Chukchi Selkup Sami Yukaghir Gwich'in Yakuts Arctic Winter Games Tsagaan Sar ( New Year 's Day ) Economy Arctic Refuge drilling controversy Parks, reserves and refuges Transportation in the Arctic Petroleum exploration in the Arctic Natural resources of the Arctic Transport Arctic shipping routes Arctic Bridge Northeast Passage Northwest Passage Northern Sea Route Transpolar Sea Route Polar air route Search and rescue Portal WikiProject Circles of latitude / Meridians Equator Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Arctic Circle Antarctic Circle Equator Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Arctic Circle Antarctic Circle Equator Tropic of Cancer Tropic of Capricorn Arctic Circle Antarctic Circle W 0 ° E 30 ° 60 ° 90 ° 120 ° 150 ° 180 ° 30 ° 60 ° 90 ° 120 ° 150 ° 180 ° 5 ° 15 ° 25 ° 35 ° 45 ° 55 ° 65 ° 75 ° 85 ° 95 ° 105 ° 115 ° 125 ° 135 ° 145 ° 155 ° 165 ° 175 ° 5 ° 15 ° 25 ° 35 ° 45 ° 55 ° 65 ° 75 ° 85 ° 95 ° 105 ° 115 ° 125 ° 135 ° 145 ° 155 ° 165 ° 175 ° 10 ° 20 ° 40 ° 50 ° 70 ° 80 ° 100 ° 110 ° 130 ° 140 ° 160 ° 170 ° 10 ° 20 ° 40 ° 50 ° 70 ° 80 ° 100 ° 110 ° 130 ° 140 ° 160 ° 170 ° 0 ° 10 ° 20 ° 30 ° 40 ° 50 ° 60 ° 70 ° 80 ° 90 ° 10 ° 20 ° 30 ° 40 ° 50 ° 60 ° 70 ° 80 ° 90 ° 5 ° N 15 ° 25 ° 35 ° 45 ° 55 ° 65 ° 75 ° 85 ° 5 ° S 15 ° 25 ° 35 ° 45 ° 55 ° 65 ° 75 ° 85 ° 45x90 45x90 45x90 45x90 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arctic_Circle&oldid=806875542 '' Categories : Geography of the Arctic Lines of latitude Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from June 2013 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Lists of coordinates Geographic coordinate lists Articles with Geo Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Gaeilge Gaelg Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Қазақша Kurdî Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Bahasa Melayu Монгол Nederlands 日本 語 Occitan Polski Português Română Русский Саха тыла Scots Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt Võro Walon Winaray 吴语 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 24 October 2017, at 18 : 05. 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Question: what is the definition of the arctic circle
Answer: most northerly of the abstract five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of the Earth