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Poles Apart
Factfile |
 Poles apart - Antarctica and the Arctic |
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The two polar regions have fascinated explorers for centuries. While both regions are mysterious, and of course, freezing cold, they actually have many differences between them. But do you know what the differences actually are? Here are some of the main ones.
Location
The Arctic sits at the top of the world at 90 00 N, 0 00 E with the geographical North Pole positioned at the centre of an enormous thick floating mass of ice, which floats on the water of the Arctic Ocean. If you look at our map, the Arctic is usually considered to be the area inside the Arctic Circle, an imaginary line drawn on the globe. Land almost entirely surrounds the Arctic Ocean, including northern Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia and Alaska.
Map Melinda Kolk
In contrast, Antarctica is located at the bottom of the world at 90 00 S, 0 00 E with the geographical South Pole lying near the centre of the continent. The continent of Antarctica lies mostly with the Antarctic Circle, an imaginary line drawn on the globe. Antarctica is entirely surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
Map Melinda Kolk
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