What are the Arctic and Antarctic? Arctic border. Arctic area. Geographical location of the Arctic. The meaning of the word "arctic Antarctica and Antarctica

Incredible facts

Probably, most people who have graduated from school a long time ago will not be able to immediately answer the difference between the Arctic, Antarctica and Antarctica - where are they located and how do they differ?

Many doubt it mainly because of the similarity of names and almost identical climatic conditions.

We can only say with certainty that there is a lot of snow, ice and icebergs in both places.

How are the Arctic, Antarctic and Antarctica similar to each other?

To better understand how they are similar and how they differ, it’s worth starting with what these places have in common.

Name

To be more precise, this is not a similarity, but rather a contrast.

The word "Arctic" is of Greek origin. "Arktos" means "bear". This is connected with the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, which people use to navigate in search of the North Star, that is, the main northern landmark.

The word "Antarctica" was invented quite recently, or rather in the twentieth century. The history of its origin is not so interesting. The fact is that “Antarctica” is a combination of two words “anti” and “Arctic”, that is, the part opposite to the Arctic, or bear.

Climate

Perpetual snow and icebergs are the result of harsh climate conditions. This is the second similarity between the above territories.

However, it is worth noting that the similarity is not entirely complete, since the Arctic climate is still milder due to warm currents that extend quite far along the northern coast of the Eurasian continent. Here the minimum temperature exceeds the minimum temperature of Antarctica.

What is the difference between the Arctic, Antarctica and Antarctica?

Arctic

The northern polar region of our planet, which is adjacent to the North Pole.

The Arctic includes the outskirts of two continents - North America and Eurasia.

The Arctic includes almost the entire Arctic Ocean and many islands in it (except for the coastal islands of Norway).

The Arctic includes adjacent parts of two oceans - the Pacific and the Atlantic.

The average temperature in the Arctic is -34 C.

Arctic (photo)

Antarctic

This is the south polar region of our planet. As already mentioned, its name can be translated as “opposite to the Arctic.”

Antarctica includes the mainland of Antarctica and the adjacent parts of three oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian, along with the islands.

Antarctica is the harshest climatic zone on Earth. Both the mainland and nearby islands are covered with ice.

The average temperature in Antarctica is -49 C.

Antarctica on the map

Antarctica (photo)

Antarctica

The continent that is located in the southernmost part of the globe.

Antarctica on the map

Simply put:

Antarctica and Antarctica

1. Antarctica is the mainland. The area of ​​this continent is 14.1 million square meters. km., which puts it in 5th place in area among all continents. It has surpassed only Australia in this parameter. Antarctica is a deserted continent discovered by the Lazarev-Bellingshausen expedition in 1820.

2. Antarctica is a territory that includes both the continent of Antarctica itself, and all the islands adjacent to this continent and the waters of three oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian. According to foreign scientists who call the Antarctic waters the Southern Ocean, the area of ​​Antarctica is about 86 million square meters. km.

3. Relief Antarctica is much more diverse than the topography of the continent that is part of it.

ARCTIC, noun. Geogr. northern polar region of the earth

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

ARCTIC, arctic, many. no, w. (from the Greek arktos - bear, the names of two northern constellations) (geographical). North polar region of the globe.

Modern explanatory dictionary

"ARCTIKA", nuclear icebreaker. Built in 1975 (USSR). Length 148 m, displacement 23.4 thousand tons, power of the propulsion system 55 MW. Serves to guide ships along the Northern Sea Route. The first surface ship to reach the geographic point of the North Pole during an active voyage (1977; expedition leader T. B. Guzhenko, captain Yu. S. Kuchiev).

ARCTIC (from the Greek arktikos - northern), the northern polar region of the Earth, including the outskirts of the continents of Eurasia and the North. America, almost the entire North. Arctic approx. with islands (except for the coastal islands of Norway), as well as adjacent parts of the Atlantic and Pacific ca. The southern border of the Arctic coincides with the southern border of the tundra zone. Area approx. 27 million km2, sometimes the Arctic is limited from the south by the Arctic Circle (66 °33" N); in this case, the area is 21 million km2. According to the relief features in the Arctic, they are divided into: shelf, with islands of continental origin and adjacent continental margins , and Arctic Bass. The shelf area is occupied by the marginal seas - the Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, Beaufort, Baffin. The land relief of the Arctic within the Russian Federation is predominantly flat, in some places, especially on the islands, mountainous. The central part is Arctic Basin, an area of ​​deep-sea basins (up to 5527 m) and underwater ridges.Features of nature: low radiation balance, average air temperatures of the summer months close to 0 °C with a negative average annual temperature, the existence of glaciers and permafrost, the predominance of tundra vegetation and Arctic deserts The marine fauna of the Arctic includes about 150 species of fish (salmon, smelt, cod, whitefish, etc.) and 17 species of marine mammals (whales, seals, walruses). Terrestrial mammals: polar bear, arctic fox, reindeer. Sea ice cover is approx. 11 million km2 in winter and approx. 8 million km2 in summer. The Northern Sea Route played a huge role in the development of the Arctic.

In our article we want to talk about what the Arctic is. Anyone who graduated from school a long time ago, as a rule, can immediately tell little about it. Let's remember a little about our school geography course.

What are the Arctic and Antarctic?

Both of these words mean the parts of the globe located near the poles. Only one of these parts belongs to the North Pole, and the other to the South Pole. In general, it is not surprising to get confused in words. And all because the words are similar in sound, and even have the same root.

The words Arctic and Antarctic are of Greek origin, or rather ancient Greek. The basis of the word is the root “arktos” meaning she-bear. Why exactly the bear?

Most likely it has to do with astronomy. After all, many constellations were named after heroes of ancient Greek myths: Centaurus, Orion, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Taurus, Cepheus. Including Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. So, it is in the constellation Ursa Minor that the North Star is located, which is practically located above the North Pole. This star accurately indicates the northern direction in our hemisphere (northern).

Where do the names come from?

It is logical to assume that the name came about as follows. If the Polar Star is located in Ursa Minor, and the Ursa Minor is Arktos, indicating the rule of the north, then hence the Arctic. So it turns out that the Arctic is the north of the Earth.

But Antarctica received its name based on the rules of Greek grammar, according to which the prefix “anti” has the opposite meaning. This is the assumption regarding the origin of the names Arctic and Antarctic.

Arctic

So what is the Arctic? 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 drawn 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, as ocean currents contribute to this.

Antarctic

Antarctica is the southern polar part of the globe, which is adjacent to the South Pole and includes Antarctica and parts of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. The climatic conditions of Antarctica are more severe. Penguins live here.

Arctic Border

Where does the Arctic end or begin? The Arctic border is traditionally drawn, as we have already said, along the Northern Circle. However, cold (arctic) conditions often occur in much more southern regions. Then, taking these areas into account, the area of ​​the Arctic reaches 27 million square kilometers. This means that its border will also shift.

The Arctic zone is a very rich region, despite the harsh climatic conditions. Colossal reserves of minerals are concentrated here: silver, diamonds, gold, chromium, phosphorus and many others. The geographic location of the Arctic has determined the fact that it is one of the few parts of the world in which hydrocarbon and mineral reserves have remained untouched. In addition, the region is rich in oil and gas.

It should be noted that the southern border of the Arctic is traditionally drawn (coincides) along the southern border of the tundra.

In general, this is a rather interesting and vast region. And we can talk about where the Arctic border is for quite a long time. It's not that simple here.

Although this is an independent region, the Arctic border is drawn differently. We have already mentioned one of the options. It is 66 degrees and 33 minutes north latitude. That is, the Arctic border is traditionally drawn along the Arctic Circle. To the north of this latitude, such an interesting phenomenon as polar day and polar night is observed. This means that in this region in the summer the sun does not set at all for some time, and in the winter the sun sometimes does not rise at all. This is such an interesting feature.

From the point of view of climatic conditions, the Arctic border is drawn through an area where the average July temperature does not exceed ten degrees. An interesting fact is that this is also the limit of vegetation, since trees practically do not survive further north.

The climatic and geographical boundaries of the Arctic are traditionally drawn in different places. For example, Iceland is located much south of the Arctic Circle, and yet July temperatures there do not exceed 10 degrees.

Arctic lands

The territory of the Arctic, or rather its land, has an area 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 geographic location of the Arctic has led to such an interesting situation. It must be said that Canada and the Russian Federation own the majority (80%), the USA - 4 percent, and the Scandinavian countries received about sixteen percent. 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 it is not very important how the Arctic border is traditionally drawn from a geographical point of view, if we are talking about the ownership of its individual parts by different countries. This territory can be divided into geographical regions: Russian Federation zone, Canadian zone, Alaska, Greenland, Spitsbergen, Iceland and Fennoscandia.

In the Arctic, Russia belongs to Northern Land, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Wrangel, etc. In addition, the Russian Arctic zone belongs partially or completely to the following territories: the Republic of Sakha, Arkhangelsk region, Murmansk, Chukotka District, Yamalo-Nenets, Nenets and the Taimyr Peninsula.

What is the Arctic like?

Speaking about what the Arctic is, I would like to note that it is not only snow and ice, as is sometimes believed. In fact, the flora and fauna of this region are quite unique. The subarctic is inhabited by at least 20 thousand 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 are created to protect nature. The climate of these latitudes is suitable for the habitat of certain species of fauna and flora. For example, in the Arctic there are 25% of species from the salmon order, about 12% of lichens and 6% of mosses.

Naturally, representatives of flora and fauna are completely unevenly distributed among natural areas. Insects, for example, that live here make up half of the species diversity of the entire planet. Oddly enough, the hardiest are beetles and flies that can withstand temperatures down to minus sixty degrees. Bumblebees and mosquitoes in the Arctic pollinate local flowers, but there are practically no bees there. As you can see, the Arctic is not a lifeless region, as many people believe.

People have a stereotype that the Arctic border traditionally separates permafrost and the ordinary world, but in reality this is not at all the case. As you can see, there is life even in harsh climatic conditions.

World of plants

The flora is characterized by a mixture of relatively southern (Asian and American) plants, arctic and relict ones. There are steppe areas on the southern slopes of Chukotka. Scientists suggest that once upon a time the entire Arctic was a continuous steppe (during the time of mammoths). The region richest in vegetation in the Arctic is the shores of Chukotka and Wrangel Island. It’s hard to imagine, but the forty species of animals and plants that live on the island are found nowhere else on Earth.

The vegetation is represented by cereals, polar poppies, sedges, willows, lichens, dwarf birches, liverworts, mosses (the famous reindeer moss grows here). on the coast of Chukotka is generally a unique place. Here there are thickets of seaweed and relics of past, warmer centuries.

Arctic plants are the basis for human and animal life in these regions. Russula, cloudberries, lichens and medicinal herbs are used as food. In Iceland, for example, since ancient times they have made flour and baked bread from common lichen (called Centraria). It is a leader in the content of microelements, vitamins, polysaccharides, and various acids. It also acts as an indicator of the cleanliness of the environment.

Animal world

A description of the Arctic would be incomplete without mentioning the animal world. These parts are home to the most beautiful animal of the north - the reindeer, which is of great importance in the life of small indigenous peoples. For nomads, deer is a source of food - milk, meat, skins, antlers. All these products make it possible to adapt and live in very low temperatures. Venison is a very valuable product; one hundred grams of meat is enough to provide a person with vitamins and nutrients for a whole day. In addition, venison protects against scurvy, vitamin deficiency, metabolic disorders and anemia.

People domesticated deer a thousand years ago, and their breeding became a traditional occupation of the northern peoples. But the peoples of North America did not domesticate the animal; they prefer to simply hunt caribou.

The largest number of reindeer live in the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug; thousands of animals graze there.

Arctic musk oxen

Also in the Arctic live musk oxen - the largest ungulates, they are relatives of mammoths. Animals are remarkably adapted to life in harsh conditions. Their warm, long hair protects them from cold and wind, and they are not particularly picky about food. Musk oxen have long been listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. Currently they live only on Wrangel Island. On the Canadian islands their numbers are constantly growing. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, they lived in Alaska. Scientists suggest that the animals could change their habitat due to global warming; after all, they could not live in conditions of constant rainfall, which wets their fur. Hunters also contributed to 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 inhabitants of the Arctic, fur fishing is traditional, because there are a lot of foxes, stoats, wolverines, polar wolves and arctic foxes.

Rodents and hares are an important part of the food chain. Lemming hamsters eat one and a half times more food per day than they weigh.

Bird world

About half of the world's coastal bird species live in the Arctic; it must be said that they are a strong component between marine and coastal systems. It is difficult to imagine the coast without “bird colonies”; the largest colonies of gulls, fulmars, cormorants, guillemots, and guillemots are located here.

During the short summer months, 280 species of birds nest along the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Rare and common birds, having raised their offspring, fly to Africa, Europe, Antarctica, and Asia. Taimyr, for example, has long been considered an important migration site for shorebirds and anseriformes. The Arctic is home to the largest population of white geese, which settles on Wrangel Island. And in Yakutia live the white crane and the Siberian Crane - one of the rarest species on earth.

Marine mammals

Sea animals have become symbols of the Arctic. However, uncontrolled human activity has led to the fact that some species were almost completely exterminated. The most important animal of this harsh region 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 breed on the shores of Chukotka, Cape Zhelaniya on Novaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land. On Wrangel Island there are large coastal rookeries of walruses. This is the only safe place for them.

Polar bear hunting has long been officially banned. But residents of Greenland and Canada do not fully respect the ban by issuing hunting licenses, which is why up to 350 individuals die annually.

In Alaska, permits are also issued annually to catch minke and bowhead whales.

Instead of an afterword

As part of the article, we talked to you about the coldest regions of the planet. As we see, it doesn’t matter where the Arctic border is drawn on the map; life still exists behind it, even in very low temperatures. Even these regions have their own flora and fauna.

Ushakov's Dictionary

Arctic

Arctic, Arctic, pl. No, wives(from Greek arktos - bear, names of two northern constellations) ( geogr.). North polar region of the globe.

Ozhegov's Dictionary

A RCTICA, And, and.(A is capitalized). The northern polar region of the globe: the outskirts of the continents of Eurasia and North America with adjacent islands, the Arctic Ocean and areas of other oceans.

| adj. arctic, oh, oh.

Naval Dictionary

Arctic

the northern polar region of the Earth, including the edges of the continents of Eurasia, America and almost the entire Arctic Ocean with islands (except for the coastal islands of Norway), the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Arctic is conditionally sometimes limited from the south by the Arctic Circle (at 66°33’N). The climate is harsh and it is extremely sparsely populated. Modern international law enshrines the division of the Arctic into 5 sectors: their bases are the northern borders of Russia, the USA, Canada, Denmark (Greenland) and Norway, the side faces are the meridians, and the top is the North Pole.

encyclopedic Dictionary

Arctic

1. (from the Greek arktikos - northern), the northern polar region of the Earth, including the outskirts of the continents of Eurasia and the North. America, almost the entire North. Arctic approx. with islands (except for the coastal islands of Norway), as well as adjacent parts of the Atlantic and Pacific ca. The southern border of the Arctic coincides with the southern border of the tundra zone. Area approx. 27 million km2, sometimes the Arctic is limited from the south by the Arctic Circle (66 °33" N); in this case, the area is 21 million km2. According to the relief features in the Arctic, they are divided into: shelf, with islands of continental origin and adjacent continental margins , and Arctic Bass. The shelf area is occupied by the marginal seas - the Barents, White, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, Beaufort, Baffin. The land relief of the Arctic within the Russian Federation is predominantly flat, in some places, especially on the islands, mountainous. The central part is Arctic Basin, an area of ​​deep-sea basins (up to 5527 m) and underwater ridges.Features of nature: low radiation balance, average air temperatures of the summer months close to 0 °C with a negative average annual temperature, the existence of glaciers and permafrost, the predominance of tundra vegetation and Arctic deserts The marine fauna of the Arctic includes about 150 species of fish (salmon, smelt, cod, whitefish, etc.) and 17 species of marine mammals (whales, seals, walruses). Terrestrial mammals: polar bear, arctic fox, reindeer. Sea ice cover is approx. 11 million km2 in winter and approx. 8 million km2 in summer. The Northern Sea Route played a huge role in the development of the Arctic.
2. nuclear icebreaker. Built in 1975 (USSR). Length 148 m, displacement 23.4 thousand tons, power of the propulsion system 55 MW. Serves to guide ships along the Northern Sea Route. The first surface ship to reach the geographic point of the North Pole during an active voyage (1977; expedition leader T. B. Guzhenko, captain Yu. S. Kuchiev).