Drawing of the Arctic in pencil. Russian Arctic (photos, maps, description)

Arctic - report for children
Animals of the Arctic report for children with photographs

Arctic includes Northern Arctic Ocean, Alaska Peninsula, Northern Canada, Greenland, Northern Scandinavia and the Siberian coast. During the polar night the sun is not visible at all. The ground freezes deeply, becomes covered with ice and snow, and the sea ice lasts most of the year. Only a few animals, those most adapted to the cold, can withstand such a harsh climate. The Arctic summer lasts no more than two months, but as the days get longer, some unpretentious plants have time to grow and bloom.
Some arctic animals:

White Arctic fox

U white fox The fur is so thick that this animal does not freeze even at -50 degrees. In summer, the arctic fox's fur takes on a grayish tint. The Arctic fox hunts hares, but also catches lemmings - small rodents barely larger than a mouse.



Arctic terns

Arctic terns in winter they fly to warm regions. These birds are great travelers: in a year they can fly up to 40,000 km!

White hare

White hare, depending on the habitat, in summer it acquires a brown or gray color. But in winter its coat turns white, and then it is almost indistinguishable in the snow.

Muskox

Muskox, thanks to its very thick fur, it looks much larger than it actually is. Under the long hair, which goes down almost to the ground, the musk ox has a thin and delicate undercoat, which falls out at the end of winter. In strong winds, the animals are reliably protected, but in snowfall their fur quickly freezes.

Polar bear

Polar bear– a formidable predator; ruler of the icy expanses of the Arctic. Thanks to his keen sense of smell, he tracks seals under the ice, and can smell the corpse of a whale 30 km away. The polar bear is also an excellent swimmer and calmly dives into ice water. To get out, the bear grabs a passing ice floe with its powerful claws. Then the animal shakes itself off, and its fur again becomes dry and does not freeze.

Walruses

U walruses There are strong fangs, they help animals get out of the water, as well as punch holes and breathe when walruses swim under the ice. The longer a male’s fangs are, the more confident he feels among his fellows and the easier it is for him to find a mate.

wild ducks

wild ducks in the summer, during the thaw, they begin to build nests again and flood the shores of small lakes rich in food.

Seals

Arctic– this is the real kingdom of seals: bearded seal, hooded seal, marbled seal. The smallest of the seals, the marbled seal, has a body covered dark spots, the bearded man has a shaggy chin. The hooded seal inflates its neck like a ball, attracting the female. The body of the seal pups is covered with thick white fur; the female mother feeds them with nutritious mayonnaise-like milk. Seals swim like fish, but on land or on ice it is difficult for them to move, and they are completely clumsy.

A huge region that includes northern regions Eurasia and North America, as well as the waters of the Arctic Ocean, are called the Arctic. Its area is 27 million km². The area of ​​land within the Arctic Circle (66° 33′ 44″ N), where the polar night gives way to the polar day, corresponds to 21 million km². For example: the area of ​​Russia is 17 million km², and China is 9.6 million km². The area of ​​Australia is 7.65 km², and the Amazon River basin, which is the lungs of the planet, occupies an area of ​​7.8 million km² on the South American continent.

From here you can see the grandiose scale of the practically uninhabited northern lands. They are cold, and the long polar night is replaced by an equally long polar day, stretching from mid-March to the end of September. The Arctic is the patrimony of polar bears, walruses, seals, reindeer and huge bowhead whales plowing the endless waters, covered eternal ice Arctic Ocean.

Nature and relief

The continental lands of the Arctic are tundra. These are endless plains with withered vegetation (moss, lichen). Sometimes there are gentle hills and even mountains. On the Taimyr Peninsula, dear to the Russian heart, the Byrranga Mountains stretch in a long ridge. Their height reaches 1146 meters. There are hills and Chukotka Peninsula. But on the lands of North America, the Arctic Plateau spreads out in all its vast expanse. Its height above sea level reaches 700 meters.

The mountains are famous for their numerous islands, majestically protruding from the cold waters with inaccessible cliffs. The highest peak in the Arctic is located in eastern Greenland. It bears the name of Mount Gunbjorn, and its height corresponds to 3700 meters. There are rock formations on Baffin Island - their maximum height tends to the mark of 2591 meters. Ellesmere Island, separated from Greenland by a narrow strait, has Barbeau Peak with a height of 2616 meters.

Almost all the islands are bound by eternal ice. On New Earth and Severnaya Zemlya Ice caps occupy almost half the area. Greenland is 90% covered with ice. The same situation is observed in Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen. Total area of all glaciers covering the islands is 2 million km².

Climate

The Arctic can safely boast of the lowest temperature conditions on the planet. At the North Pole, the usual winter temperature is minus 40°, sometimes dropping to minus 60°, and in summer it never goes above 0°. In the Beaufort, Chukchi and Baffin seas, winter temperatures fluctuate between minus 35°. On the ice lands of Greenland (especially in central regions) the thermometer can drop to minus 50°. In the northern Asian lands of Eurasia it is also often minus 50°. This is especially true in January, which is considered the coldest winter month.

In summer average temperature in most of the Arctic region it does not rise above 3°, in some places it rarely reaches plus 6°. Sometimes there are sharp warmings in winter in the western regions. The temperature in these cases can rise as much as minus 10°. This is due to warm Atlantic cyclones, sometimes breaking through a continuous cold air curtain.

In the east there are practically no sudden changes in temperature. The Arctic is connected with Pacific Ocean only the narrow and shallow Bering Strait, so the impact of the largest body of water on the planet on the Arctic Ocean is very insignificant. This region is characterized by high clouds, strong winds blowing with enviable frequency, as well as heavy precipitation in the form of snow.

Geography and economics

On arctic lands There are very few states. These are Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, USA, Iceland and Denmark. Taking into account the heavy climatic conditions shipping in this part globe possible only in summer months, and even then only in certain areas of the water area. Ships, as a rule, do not sail independently. They follow an icebreaker - a huge ship designed specifically for pushing apart ice. He either cuts the ice crust with his sharp nose, or pushes it with his weight. The ice breaks into small pieces and retreats, making way for ships.

The Arctic is rich in gas and oil, so it represents a huge economic interest for all countries of the world. The lands of the cold region have been inhabited since time immemorial by the Chukchi, Evenki, Nenets, Yakuts, and Dolgans. The rights of indigenous peoples of the Arctic are protected by a special Arctic Council. His responsibilities also include monitoring the preservation natural resources the most unique region on the planet.

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Beautiful Antarctica and arctic photo nature.

We bring to your attention photographs from the new book by National Geographic magazine photographer Paul Nicklen. The book, called “Polar Obsession,” contains 160 photos taken by Paul in the Arctic and Antarctic. During one of his polar expeditions, Paul experienced amazing story- a leopard seal, a deadly predator of Antarctica, became friends with him.

1) A young polar bear jumps from ice floe to ice floe. Barents Sea, Spitsbergen, Norway.

2) An Icelandic gull flies against the background of a large iceberg. Spitsbergen, Norway.

3) Spring in the Arctic, traces of meltwater runoff are spreading across the ice.

4) Narwhals dive deep under the ice to feed on Arctic cod, and then raise their tusks high to the surface to breathe. Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada.

5) A Gentoo penguin chick looks into the water, checking to see if there is a threat, if a leopard seal is swimming. Port Lockroy, Antarctic Peninsula.

6) A leopard seal “feeds” photographer Paul Nicklen penguins. Antarctic Peninsula.

7) A large male walrus swims back to the shores of Prins Karl Forland after diving and eating shellfish for a long time. Spitsbergen, Norway.

8) A mother bear and her two-year-old cub are drifting on an ice floe. Hudson Strait, Nunavut, Canada.

9) Looking ahead to his uncertain future, this inquisitive big male bear got the camera rolling and took this self-portrait. Leifdefjorden, Spitsbergen, Norway.

During his next expedition to Antarctica, an amazing incident happened to photographer Paul Nicklen. As Paul plunged into the water to take some photos, a large female leopard seal swam up to him - the largest and dangerous predator Antarctica. Opening its huge mouth, the leopard seal “examined” Paul in its own way: the predator carefully took the photographer’s head and his camera into its fanged mouth. And then, just as carefully, it let go and began to swim around, treating Paul to freshly killed penguins. Offering the treat to Paul, the female leopard aimed straight ahead into the camera, obviously believing that this is the mouth of her new friend. As a result of this unusual “acquaintance”, absolutely amazing photographs appeared..

In the VKontakte group NORDAVIA - Regional Airlines posted a message: Quote:

New flight: Murmansk - Arctic - Arkhangelsk. Currently, tour operators and government officials are actively discussing the issue of developing Arctic tourism. In particular, a completely new route is being discussed - tourists arrive in Murmansk, from where they go to the vastness of the Russian Arctic, and end the trip in Arkhangelsk. We believe that this area of ​​tourism is very promising, and therefore we carried out a set of works to study the capabilities of the Boeing 737 aircraft in terms of landing on Arctic ice. There is successful experience in similar operation of aircraft of this type in the world, on the basis of which we decided on the possibility of such flights. The North is perhaps the most underrated region by tourists. It is full of majestic beauty, tranquility and grace. At the same time, its effective development has always been associated with aviation, and its modern development has made flights over the Arctic as comfortable and safe as in other parts of our planet. In the near future, we will complete all approvals with tour operators, and the new product will be offered to potential consumers. Experience all the beauty of the North with us!

Most people took it as an April Fool's joke. Yes, maybe the group administrators themselves created this message as banter. Although, someone believed it, deciding that flights were planned all the way to the North Pole itself. But that's not the point. It turns out that people don’t know that there really are flights to the Arctic? After all, what is included in the Arctic region of Russia: The Arctic zone of Russia is a part of the Arctic that is under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. Included Arctic zone Russia includes such territories of constituent entities of the Russian Federation as Kola, Lovozersky, Pechenga districts, closed administrative-territorial formations of Zaozersk, Ostrovnoy, Skalisty, Snezhnogorsk, cities. Polyarny and Severomorsk Murmansk region, Murmansk; Belomorsky district of the Republic of Karelia, Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Mezensky, Leshukonsky, Onega, Pinezhsky, Primorsky, Solovetsky districts, Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk; Vorkuta, Komi Republic; Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug; Norilsk Krasnoyarsk Territory; Allaikhovsky, Abyisky, Bulunsky, Verkhnekolymsky, Nizhnekolymsky, Oleneksky, Ust-Yansky, Gorny uluses of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); Chukotka Autonomous Okrug; Olyutorsky district of Koryak Autonomous Okrug. Okay, Vorkuta, Naryan-Mar... But for example, to Amderma, Tiksi, Anadyr - passenger planes fly only this way, and this is the Arctic, without any kind there. Don't people know about this? Or considers it only the Arctic North Pole, and the Polar Region with Wrangel, Taimyr and Novaya Zemlya? Or maybe we need to directly create “tourist products” and announce “here’s your opportunity to fly to the Arctic” so that people get the message?

Incredible facts

Probably, most people who have graduated from school a long time ago will not immediately be able to 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

Eternal snow and icebergs are the result harsh conditions climate. 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, extending quite far along the northern coast of the Eurasian continent. Here the minimum temperature exceeds minimum temperature 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 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 Southern Ocean, Antarctica's area 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.