Arctic Circle: Quick Facts

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Map showing the Arctic Ocean at the center, surrounded by the Arctic Circle. The map highlights nearby countries including Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada, Greenland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland, with the North Pole marked near the center of the ocean.

Map of the Arctic region showing the decline in minimum sea ice extent from 1980 to 2020. The area covered by sea ice in 1980 is outlined in white, while the much smaller area remaining in 2020 is shaded in purple, illustrating significant sea ice loss over four decades around the North Pole and Arctic Ocean.

World map showing continents and major oceans, with the Arctic Circle highlighted as a dashed red line encircling the northern polar region above North America, Europe, and Asia.

sunlight strikes parts of Earth differently

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Equator Tropic of Capricorn Tropic of Cancer 38th parallel Antarctic Circle seventeenth parallel