Top 10 facts about the Arctic

1. ‘Arctic’ comes from ‘arktikos’, the Greek for ‘bear’. The reason is that Ursa Major, the Great Bear constellation, is seen in the northern sky.

2. The Arctic Circle marks the region above which, for at least one day a year, there is all-day sunshine in the summer and 24-hour darkness in the winter.

3. The lowest temperature recorded in the Arctic is –68C (–90.4F) in Siberia.

4. Antarctica is colder than the Arctic. The lowest temperature recorded there was –89.2C (–90.4F)

The Arctic Circle marks the region above which, for at least one day a year, there is all-day sunshine in the summer and 24-hour darkness in the winter.

5. The Arctic Ocean covers 5.4 million square miles, which is more than the area of Europe.

6. The line of the Arctic Circle is about 1,650 miles south of the North Pole.

7. Grey whales migrate 12,500 miles from the Arctic to Mexico and back every year.

8. Eight countries extend into the Arctic: Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada and the USA (Alaska).

9. Mainland Iceland is actually below the Arctic but the Icelandic island of Grimsey lies exactly on the Arctic Circle.

10. If all the ice in the Arctic melted, the global sea level would rise about 24 feet. If all the ice in the Antarctic melted, it would rise about 200 feet.

http://www.express.co.uk/fun/top10facts/379386/Top-10-facts-about-the-Arctic