In our article, we want to talk about what the Arctic is. Those who graduated from school a long time ago, as a rule, can tell very little about it. Let's remember a little school geography course.
Both of these words mean parts of the globe,located near the poles. Only one of these parts refers to the North Pole, and the other to the South Pole. In general, no wonder and get lost in words. And all because the words are similar in sound, and even cognate.
The words Arctic and Antarctic are of Greek origin, and more specifically, ancient Greek. The basis of the word - the root "arktos" means a bear. Why exactly the bear?
Most likely, the case in astronomy.After all, many constellations were called the names of the heroes of ancient Greek myths: Centaurus, Orion, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Taurus, Cetheus. Including Ursa Minor and Big. So, it is in the constellation Ursa Minor that the Polar Star is located, which is practically located above the North Pole. This star accurately indicates the northern direction in our hemisphere (northern).
It is logical to assume that the name happenedin the following way. Kohl Polaris is located in Ursa Minor, and the bear is the Arktos, indicates the direction of the north, and hence the Arctic. It turns out that the Arctic is the north of the Earth.
But Antarctica got its name fromof the rules of Greek grammar, according to which the opposite meaning has the prefix "anti". That is the assumption about the origin of the names of the Arctic and Antarctic.
Так что такое Арктика?This is the region 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 held along the Arctic Circle. It is 66 degrees and 33 minutes north latitude. In this case, we can say that the area of the Arctic is 21 million square kilometers.
The climatic conditions of the Arctic are slightly milder than the Antarctic, since ocean currents contribute to this.
Антарктика – это южная полярная часть Земного ball, which is adjacent to the South Pole and includes Antarctica and parts of the Indian, Atlantic, Pacific Oceans. The climatic conditions of the Antarctic are more severe. Penguins live here.
Where does the Arctic end or does it start?The border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn, as we have said, along the Northern Circle. However, often cold (arctic) conditions manifest themselves in much more southern regions. Then, taking into account these areas, the area of the Arctic reaches 27 million square kilometers. So, it will shift and its border.
The Arctic zone is a very rich region, despiteon harsh climatic conditions. Here are colossal reserves of minerals: 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 hydrocarbon and mineral reserves are still intact. In addition, the region is rich in oil and gas.
It should be noted that the southern border of the Arctic is traditionally conducted (coincides) along the southern border of the tundra.
In general, it is quite an interesting and extensive region. And to talk about where the border of the Arctic can be long enough. It is not so simple.
Although it is an independent region, but the borderThe Arctic is held in different ways. On one of the options we have already mentioned. It is 66 degrees and 33 minutes north latitude. That is, the border of the Arctic is traditionally held in the polar circle. North of this latitude is observed such an interesting phenomenon as the polar day and the polar night. 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 even rise at all. Here is such an interesting feature.
С точки зрения климатических условий граница The Arctic is held on a 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.
Climatic and geographical border of the Arctictraditionally held in different places. For example, Iceland is located much south of the polar circle, and yet the July temperatures there do not exceed 10 degrees.
The territory of the Arctic, or rather its land, hasarea of 14 million square kilometers. These lands consist of the extreme northern possessions of a number of states. These are Russia, Greenland, Canada, USA, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden.
The geographical position of the Arctic and determinedsuch an interesting situation. I must say that Canada and the Russian Federation own a large part (80%), the United States — 4 percent, and about 16 percent of 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 with ice.
Sometimes not very important, as the border of the Arctictraditionally carried out from a geographical point of view, if we are talking about the ownership of its individual parts to different countries. This territory can be divided into geographical regions: the zone of the Russian Federation, the zone of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Spitsbergen, Iceland and Fennoskandia.
In the Arctic of Russia belongs Kolguev (island),Northern Land, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, New Siberian Islands, Wrangel Island, etc. In addition, the following areas belong to the Russian Arctic zone: Sakha Republic, Arkhangelsk Region, Murmansk, Chukotka District, Yamalo-Nenetsky, Nenetsky and the Taimyr Peninsula.
Говоря о том, что такое Арктика, хочется notice that it is not only snow ices, as is sometimes believed. In fact, the animal and plant world of this region is quite unique. The subarctic and the Arctic desert is inhabited by at least 20,000 different species of plants, fungi, animals and microorganisms. Unique animals live here and plants grow that are not found anywhere else on Earth. Even in such harsh conditions, national parks for nature conservation are being created. The climate of these latitudes is suitable for the habitat of some species of fauna and flora. For example, in the Arctic, there are 25% of species from the order of salmon fishes, about 12% of lichens and 6% of moss.
Naturally, representatives of flora and faunacompletely unevenly distributed across natural areas. Insects, for example, living here, make up half of the species diversity of the entire planet. Oddly enough, but the most enduring are beetles and flies, which are able to withstand temperatures up to minus sixty degrees. Bumblebees and mosquitoes of the Polar region pollinate local flowers, and in fact there are practically no bees. As you can see, the Arctic is not a lifeless region, as many believe.
There is a stereotype in the view of people thatThe border of the Arctic traditionally divides the permafrost and the ordinary world, but in reality this is not at all the case. As you can see, life is even in harsh climatic conditions.
Для растительного мира характерно смешение relative to southern (Asian and American) plants, arctic and relic. On the southern slopes of Chukotka there are steppe areas. Scientists assume that once the whole Arctic Circle was a continuous steppe (at the time of the mammoths). The richest in vegetation region of the Arctic is the shores of Chukotka and Wrangel Island. It is difficult to imagine, but forty species of animals and plants inhabiting the island are not found anywhere else on Earth.
Vegetation is represented by cereals, polarpoppies, sedge, willow, lichen, dwarf birch, liverwort, mosses (the famous moss grows here - reindeer moss). Chaun Bay on the coast of Chukotka in general is a unique place. Here are thickets of seaweed and relics of past, warmer centuries.
Arctic plants - the basis for human lifeand animals in these parts. Russules, cloudberries, lichens and medicinal herbs are used as food. In Iceland, for example, for a long time they made flour and baked bread from an ordinary lichen (called Centraria). He leads the content of microelements, vitamins, polysaccharides, various acids. It also serves as an indicator of the purity of the environment.
Описание Арктики было бы неполным без упоминания about the animal world. The most beautiful animal of the north, the reindeer, is of the greatest importance in the lives of small indigenous peoples. For nomads, deer is a source of food - it is milk, meat, skins, antlers. All these products provide an opportunity to adapt and live in very cold temperatures. Venison is a very valuable product, one hundred grams of meat is enough to provide human vitamins and nutrients for the whole day. In addition, venison saves from scurvy, beriberi, metabolic disorders and anemia.
Люди одомашнили оленей еще тысячу лет назад, их breeding has become a traditional occupation of the northern peoples. But the peoples of North America did not domesticate the beast, they prefer to simply hunt caribou.
The largest number of reindeer lives in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, thousands of animals graze there.
Even in the Arctic, there are musk oxen - the largestungulates, they are kinsmen mammoths. Animals are remarkably adapted to life in harsh conditions. Warm long wool protects them from cold and wind, they are not particularly demanding to food. Musk oxen have long been listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. At present, they live only on the Taimyr Peninsula and Wrangel Island. On the Canadian Islands, their number is constantly growing. Until the early 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 precipitation, which wet the wool. Hunters also influenced the decrease in the number of animals. In their natural habitat, polar wolves pose a serious danger to both deer and musk oxen.
For the indigenous people of the Arctic, the fur trade is traditional, because there are a lot of foxes, ermines, wolverines, polar wolves and foxes.
An important part of the food chain are rodents and hares. Hamster lemmings eat one and a half times more food per day than they weigh.
В Арктике обитает около половины разновидностей coastal birds of the whole world, I must say that they are a strong component between the marine and coastal systems. It is difficult to imagine the coast without the “bird markets”, the largest colonies of gulls, fools, cormorants, chistik, kair are located here.
In the short summer months along the North coastThe Arctic Ocean is made by 280 species of birds. Rare and usual birds, having grown offspring fly to Africa, Europe, Antarctica, Asia. Taimyr, for example, has long been considered an important place for the migration of waders and Anseriformes. The largest population of white geese inhabits the Wrangel Island inhabits the Arctic. And in Yakutia, the white crane and the Siberian crane live - one of the rarest species on earth.
Symbols of the Arctic have become sea animals.However, uncontrolled human activity led to the fact that some species were almost completely exterminated. The most important animal of the harsh land 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 multiply on the shores of Chukotka, Cape Desire on New Land, Franz Josef Land. On Wrangel Island there are large walrus rookeries. This is the only safe place for them.
The hunt for a polar bear has long been officially banned. But residents of Greenland and Canada do not quite respect the ban, issuing licenses to hunt, because of which up to 350 individuals die each year.
In Alaska, they also annually issue permits to catch whales and bowhead whales.
As part of this article, we talked about the mostcold regions of the planet. As we see, it does not matter where the border of the Arctic is drawn on the map, there is still life beyond it, even in very cold temperatures. Even in these parts there is a flora and fauna.
