Arctic Circle facts for kids
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude (imaginary lines around the Earth) that are often marked on maps of the Earth. This is the parallel of latitude that (in 2000) runs 66° 33' 39" north of the Equator.
The Arctic Circle is one way to say what part of the Earth is in the Arctic. The North Pole is in the center of the Arctic Circle.
Countries which are partly within the Arctic Circle are:
- Russia
- Canada
- Denmark (Greenland)
- United States of America (Alaska)
- Norway
- Sweden
- Finland
- Iceland (less than 1 square kilometre)
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. It directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt. The axial tilt fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000-year period, mostly due to tidal forces from the orbit of the Moon. The tilt is currently diminishing, so the Arctic Circle is drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 m (49 ft) per year.
Related pages
- Northern Hemisphere
- Southern Hemisphere
- Eastern Hemisphere
- Western Hemisphere
- Seasons
- Solstice and equinox
- Equator
- Tropic of Cancer
- Tropic of Capricorn
- Antarctic Circle
- Circle of latitude
Images for kids
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At night, bright aurora borealis are a fairly common sight in the Arctic Circle. The picture of the northern lights in Rovaniemi.
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Arctic Circle line in Rovaniemi, Finland c.1865
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A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle in Alaska
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Aurora Borealis above Arctic Circle sign along the Dempster Highway in Yukon at 66°33′55″N 136°18′26″W / 66.56528°N 136.30722°W
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The white borderline of the Arctic Circle at the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland
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A sign in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia
See also
In Spanish: Círculo polar ártico para niños