The Arctic is the northernmost region of Earth. Most scientists define the Arctic as the area within the Arctic Circle, a line of latitude about 66.5° north of the Equator. Within this circle are the Arctic ocean basin and the northern parts of Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. state of Alaska.

Countries bordering the Arctic Ocean are: Russia, Norway, Iceland, Greenland (territory of the Kingdom of Denmark), Canada and the United States.

The Arctic region, or the Arctic, is a geographic region spreading around the North Pole. There is no single correct definition of the region as the southern boundary varies. Key ways to define the Arctic: The Arctic Circle (66 ° 33’N) delimits the Arctic in terms of solar radiation.

The members of the Arctic Council include the eight Arctic States (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and the United States).

The Canadian territory of Nunavut lies closest to the North Pole. Greenland, the world’s largest island and an independent country within the Kingdom of Denmark, is also close to the pole.

Winter. During the winter months of November through February, the sun remains very low in the sky in the Arctic or does not rise at all. Cold snow reflects between 70% and 90% of the solar radiation that reaches it, and snow covers most of the Arctic land and ice surface in winter.

The lowest world temperature in inhabited areas was recorded in the Arctic. The thermometers plunged to -90.4°F / -68°C in both Oymyakon, Siberia (Feb. 6, 1933) and Verkhoyansk, Siberia (Jan. 3, 1885).

Antarctica and the Arctic are the two coldest places on earth. In fact, Antarctica is much colder than the Arctic, and there are several good reasons. The main reason that Antarctica is colder than the Arctic is that Antarctica is a landmass surrounded by ocean, and the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by landmasses.