Lands and Landscapes of the Circumpolar

ALASKA (U.S): Northern Alaska,Western Alaska,Interior Alaska, South-Central & Southeast Alaska

Northern Alaska:

• Arctic slope covers a sixth of Alaska area.
  
• True Arctic climate, with light snow and little precipitation, with high winds.
  
• Tundra vegetation over permafrost
  

"This area above the Arctic Circle -- without large summer runs of salmon and facing months of twilight and bitter cold every winter -- is alive in the summer with millions of migratory waterfowl."

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http://www.alaska.com/
1.http://www.nomealaska.org/vc/ 2.http://www.nps.gov/bela 3.http://www.dced.state.ak.us/cbd/commdb/CF_CIS.cfm 4.http://www.dced.state.ak.us/cbd/commdb/CF_CIS.cfm 5.http://www.nps.gov/gaar 6.http://www.ak.blm.gov/interest.html 7.http://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/arctic/index.html 8.http://www.kingeider.net/king5.html

Western Alaska:

• Western Alaska is a crossroads of continents, where North American and Asian cultures meet and sometimes collide.
  
• Western Alaska -- from the coast of the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean inland to a line from Kodiak Island north to the Arctic Circle -- has for millennia been the home of Inupiat, Yupik, Aleuts and Athabascans.
  
• Nome, in the northern part of Western Alaska, has a drier, colder climate, but northwest Alaska suffers each October and November as big storms wash ashore off the Bering Sea.
  

Interior Alaska:

• Denali National Park, containing North America's tallest peak, sprawls along the Alaska Range south of Fairbanks.
  
• The great Yukon River flows westward across the region from Canada toward the Bering Sea.
• The Interior is the area south of the Arctic Circle, north of the Alaska Range, west of Canada and (arbitrarily) east of 154 degrees west longitude.
  

(Photo taken by: Bob Hallinen)

South-Central Alaska

• Southcentral Alaska, the home of most of Alaska's population.
  
• This diverse region includes rugged coast with fertile bays and fjords.

• The region runs from Canada to the western shore of Cook Inlet and from the Alaska Range south to the Gulf of Alaska.

• The largest city is Anchorage, with a population of 260,000, which is about 40 percent of the state's population.
  
• South of Anchorage is the Kenai Peninsula, where the popular destinations of Homer and Seward sit. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley, including Palmer, Wasilla and Talkeetna, is to the north of Anchorage.
  
• Prince William Sound and its towns of Cordova, Valdez and Whittier are along the Gulf of Alaska coast.
  

http://www.toursaver.com/alaska-map.php.

Southeast Alaska

• Southeast Alaska is a spectacular region of glacier-cut fjords and islands covered with dense rainforest. Its primary industries are tourism, fishing, and logging.
  
• There are few roads through the region, and travel is primarily by boat and float plane.
  
• It is also the home to Tlingit and Haida native groups, famous for their totems and their marine and forest adaptations.
  

CANADA

Yukon Territories

• The Yukon is important for it's Cordillera mountain region, Arctic coastal plain, Interior Plains, Canadian Shield, Innuitian region, Arctic Lowlands.


• Canadian Ecoregions consist of: Boreal Forest landscapes and arctic northern and southern landscapes.


• There are Eight tourism regions in te Yukon: North Yukon, Klondike, silver trail, Campbell, Whitehorse, Kluane, Southern Lakes, South Alaska Highway.


• Permafrost Extends through sporadic discontinuous region

Northwest Territories

• NWT Eight Tourism regions: Arctic coast, Mackenzie, Nahanni, waterfall route, Great Slave Lake.


• 33 communities throughout the NWT


• 1.2 million sq. km of land


• Population about 41,000 people

Nunavut:

• Area:2 million sq. km
• 4 regions: high arctic, Kitikmeot, Qikiqtaaluk,kivalliq.


• 28 communities with no roads joining any communities.
• Iqaluit ca. 6,000
• Barthurst Inlet ca. 25
• Grise fjord at 78degrees north
  

Greenland: North, West, South, East

Northern Greenland:

• (Population: 17,800)
• 8 municipalities
  Avanersuaq/Qaanaaq (800)
  Upernavik (2400)
  Uummannaq (2600)
  
  Seal hunting is the most important source of income for a large part of the population, and this is why the settlements here are different from those in the rest of Greenland. There are many settlements in the region, and as a visitor you will be able to experience a different Greenland from the one you will find in the busy towns. During the winter, when the fjords freeze over, the dog sled is an indispensable means of transport for the fishermen and hunters.
  
• West Greenland:


• (population: 26,550)
• 5 municipalities
• 10 settlements


• Houses enormous fjord systems and one of the world's smallest capitals. About half of Greenland's 56,000 inhabitants live in the large towns along the country's west coast, including Nuuk the capital. Enormous fjord systems and skerries are typical of the whole region.
  
• South Greenland:


• (population: 4,503)
• 4 municipalities
  
• The field ice is a remarkable phenomenon of South Greenland. This ice is formed in the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland and carried by the current down the east coast, round Cape Farewell and up into South Greenland's bays and fjords. Unlike the icebergs, the field ice consists of enormous sheets of frozen salt water, up to three metres thick, which are in constant motion.
  
• Due to the field ice towns and settlements in South Greenland can be cut off from visiting boats for periods during the spring and summer.
  

East Greenland:


• (population:3440)
• 2 municipalities
• 8 settlements
  
• Stretched on the 2,700 kilometre long East Coast are only two towns and the world's largest national park. There are both historical and natural reasons for this very sparse settlement. People have indeed lived in East Greenland for certain periods during the last several thousand years, but the period when the area is ice-bound and the wide belt of field ice that lasts throughout the spring and summer have made this area very isolated


• Ice sheet 1, 833,900 sq. km (85% total)
• Ice free area: 350,000 sq. km (Size of France)
• High Arctic and low temperatures
  

Iceland

• 7 Regions: Capital: Reykjavik, West Iceland, West Fjords, Northern Iceland, East Iceland, South Iceland, Highlands
• Area:103,548 sq. km
• Population: 307,261
• Cool temp & ocean climate: cool in summer and fairly mid winter


• Iceland Boreal Birch forests and Alpine Tundra eco-regions, marine and permanent ice fields
• Iceland is very volcanic and there is steam everywhere (heat and power run of this free heat)
• 11% of the country is covered by glaciers
• Iceland is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Faeroe Islands (DK):

• 18 Islands, 1,399 sq. km.113 km long by 75km wide
• Population: 46,345
• Capital: Torshavn
• Highest mountain: 882 m
• Maritime climate temps from 3 degrees Celsius in winter 11 degrees Celsius in summer
• Thin soils and survive on fishing and whaling.
• Jan Mayen Island: no population accept paid scientist
  873 sq. km


• 950 km west belonging to Norway and 600 km north of Iceland
• Volcanic island and glaciers
• Active volcano, Beerenberg (2277m) which last erupted in 1985
• Arctic maritime climate with frequent storms and persistent fog

Northern Norway:

North Cape is located at 71 N 10’21”N

Interior Highlands: Arctic climate in winter with snow,strong winds, and severe frosts

Coastal areas: mild conditions in winter because of the Gulf Stream

Mountains, moors, deep valleys, and sheltered fjords

Three counties: (Fylker, singular fylke(from north to south)). Nordland-cap. Bodo, Troms-cap.Tromso, Finnmark.

Northern Sweden: Lappland, Norrbotten, Vasterbotten

• Norrland is north most 2/3 of the country
• Continental climate (Jokkmokk Jan. avg. -13.7 C)
• Mosses, lichens and stunted birch and willow in arctic areas
• Sub arctic forests of firs, pines, and birches
• Two provinces (lanskape: Lapland & Norrbotten)
  

Northern Finland:

• Lapland’s is 98,937 km sq., 30% of Finland’s total land area
• 186,917 pop. 7000 Saami

Russia:

• 4 major Federal districts
• White sea region: Murmansk region encompasses the Kola Peninsula, Archangel’sk
• Nenetskiy AO: reindeer herders
  

Khanty-Mansi AO:

• Area:523,000 sq. km
• Population: 13 million
• Economy: Oil, natural gas
• Worlds second largest oil producer

Yamalo-Nenets AO:
Capital: Salekhard
Population: 469,000
Economy: 90% of Russia’s natural gas

Krasnoyarsk Kray (Territory):

• 10% of Russia
• 3 main climates zones: Arctic sub arctic, temperate
• 2.34 million sq.km (4.5 times of france)
• Very varied climate
• 2.942 million people most in the south 6.7% in Norilsk (mining)
• Economy: industry, minin, agrigculture, forestry
  

Sakha Republic:

• Capital: Yakutsk (population: 194,000)
• Area: 3,103, 200 sq. km
• (25% of Russia)
• 2,000 km N to S, 2,500 km E to W
• 40% within the Arctic Circle
• Lena River (4,000 km long) for transportation by barges that carry supplies to ULUS
• Population: 976,400- 40% indigenous Yakut people
• Economy: Mining (84% national diamond reserves) oil/gas, forestry

Magadan:

• Capital: Magadan
• Area: 461,00 sq. km
• Population: 200,000
• Economy: mining (goolod period developed gold mining by prisoner labour), fisheries
  
• Kamchatka peninsula:
  
• Capital: Petropavlovisk-Kamchatke (population: 56,000)
• Area: 70,800 sq.km
• Climate: moderated by ocean constantly moving and in the pacific “ring of fire”
• (volcanic and earthquake prone)
• Population: 384,200

Chutkotka AO:

• Capital: Anadyr (13,000)
• Impoverished place
• Area: 737,000 sq. km
• Climate: extreme, windy, cold, cool summers
• Landscapes: mountainous, Anadyr is largest river
• Population: 75,3000
• Economy: gold and tin mining