Arctic Circle

A world map. The Arctic Circle is shown as the red line.

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. North of this line, the Sun never rises at the Winter Solstice and never sets at the Summer Solstice.

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:

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.

Arctic Circle Media

The Arctic Circle, roughly 67° north of the Equator, defines the boundary of the arctic seas and lands
Relationship of Earth's axial tilt (ε) to the tropical and polar circles
At night, bright aurora borealis are a fairly common sight in the Arctic Circle. The picture of the northern lights in Rovaniemi.
Polcirkeln portal in Gällivare, Sweden
Arctic Circle line in Rovaniemi, Finland c.1865
Arctic Circle monument in Salekhard, Russia
A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle in Alaska
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 / 66.56528; -136.30722 (Arctic Circle sign)
Northern Polar Circle Globe on Vikingen island marking the Arctic Circle in Norway

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