The Arctic & Its Animals

The Arctic has eight nations within it. They are Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. It is an area with 2 million people in it and over 50 languages. One reason that it is a very important area is because of how it affects the weather patterns in the northern hemisphere.

The arctic land is mainly tundra. This frozen ground is above the tree line and is covered with hearty plants like moss and lichen, which caribou and muskox feed on. The arctic animals are hearty creatures because low temperatures and precipitation with strong winds are not uncommon in the Arctic.

The different animals we've listed here live all over the Arctic. Most do not go below the arctic circle or 66-1/2 degrees north latitude. Each of them are vital and significant to each other and to the arctic people for survival.

The people of arctic Alaska depend on the caribou and muskox for most of their food and clothing. Some villages in Greenland and arctic Canada depend on the narwhal for their entire existence!

A wide range of marine mammals and fish live in the severe conditions of the Arctic ocean. Whales, dolphins (narwhal), walruses and seals all make their home in this North Polar region which is covered by ice most of the year. The great polar bear depends on these marine mammals and fish for his survival.

We hope you'll learn about the animals and ways of the arctic from our site just like we learned and enjoyed  making it!  

Look at the satellite photograph on the sidebar. It shows the northern hemisphere. Can you tell where the arctic circle area is?

Here is a map of the same area.