This article is about one of the five major circles of latitude. For other uses, see Arctic Circle (disambiguation).
The Arctic Circle, roughly 67° north of the Equator, defines the boundary of the arctic seas and lands
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N.[1] Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice (which is the shortest day of the year), the Sun will not rise all day, and on the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice (which is the longest day of the year), the Sun will not set. These phenomena are referred to as polar night and midnight sun respectively, and the further north one progresses, the more pronounced these effects become. For example, in the Russian port city of Murmansk, three degrees above the Arctic Circle, the Sun does not rise above the horizon for 40 successive days in midwinter.[2][3][4]
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed and currently runs 66°33′49.9″ north of the Equator.[5] Its latitude depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of more than 2° over a 41,000-year period, owing to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon.[6] Consequently, the Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 14.5 m (48 ft) per year.
^"Arctic FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the Arctic".
^"40 days without the sun. How? Polar Night begins in Murmansk". Auroravillage.info. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
^Burn, Chris. The Polar Night(PDF). The Aurora Research Institute. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
^N.B.: This refers to the true geometric center which actually appears higher in the sky because of refraction by the atmosphere.
^"Obliquity of the Ecliptic (Eps Mean)". Neoprogrammics.com. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
^Berger, A. L. (1976). "Obliquity and Precession for the Last 5000000 Years". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 51 (1): 127–135. Bibcode:1976A&A....51..127B.
The ArcticCircle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66°...
ArcticCircle Restaurants is an American chain of burger and shake restaurants based in Midavle, Utah, United States. As of September 2022[update] there...
Lovers of the ArcticCircle (Spanish: Los amantes del círculo polar), also known as The Lovers from the North Pole, is a 1998 Spanish romantic drama film...
definitions of what area is contained within the Arctic. The area can be defined as north of the ArcticCircle (about 66° 34'N), the approximate southern limit...
The history of Islam in the Arctic starts relatively late in the chronology of Islamic history, the ArcticCircle being at a great distance from traditional...
Finland and the regional capital of Lapland. It is located near the ArcticCircle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi...
true within the equivalent polar circle in the Northern Hemisphere, the ArcticCircle. The position of the Antarctic Circle is not fixed and currently runs...
A polar circle is a geographic term for a conditional circular line (arc) referring either to the ArcticCircle or the Antarctic Circle. These are two...
2024: ArcticCircle (66°33′49.9″ N) Tropic of Cancer (23°26′10.1″ N) Equator (0° latitude) Tropic of Capricorn (23°26′10.1″ S) Antarctic Circle (66°33′49...
The Arctic consists of land, internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and international waters above the ArcticCircle (66 degrees...
and Japan and the Inuit, Yupik, Aleut, Chukchi and the Iñupiat in the ArcticCircle, for praying for good luck. In Japan, the observation of the first sunrise...
ArcticCircle Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Norway. It is 25 km (16 mi) north of Mo i Rana, 30 km (19 mi) south of the ArcticCircle. It supports...
award to British Commonwealth forces who served on the Arctic Convoys north of the ArcticCircle, during the Second World War. On 8 July 1943, the 1939–43...
ArcticCircle Air was an American airline based in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. It operated scheduled commuter services and charter flights to over 16 Alaskan...
Utqiaġvik, Kotzebue, Nome and Galena, although some of these are not in the ArcticCircle proper. Most of these communities have no highways and can only be reached...
The ArcticCircle Trail is a hiking trail in Greenland. The route covers 165 kilometres (103 mi) from the interior settlement of Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut...
the larger its circumpolar circle. Before the definition of the Arctic was formalized as the region north of the ArcticCircle which experiences the Midnight...
above (or close to) the ArcticCircle, i.e. the Arctic Any of the world's southern regions below (or close to) the Antarctic Circle, usually Antarctica A...
of Canada, about 400 km (250 mi) south of the ArcticCircle and about 120 km (75 mi) south of the arctic tree line. Metcalf, Mitch (June 7, 2019). "Updated:...
present, eight countries exercise sovereignty over the lands within the ArcticCircle, and these constitute the member states of the council: Canada; Denmark;...
Global Information