Polar Regions Adventure Guide
Antarctic and Polar Activities,trips and excursions
Antarctica
Antarctica is the worlds most southern continent and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. It is virtually totally south of the Antarctic circle and is 98% ice covered with an average depth of 1 mile. The continent is the coldest,driest and windiest continent and is considered a desert. It has so much ice because it never melts. In Winter sea ice encompasses the continent. VAst ice sheets caeve icebeegs into the ocean and may even float on the ocean as ice sheves.
Antartica does not belong to any one country but is governed by the Antarctic TReaty which protectc the continent from all harmful activities such as mining. There are at any one time betwen 1000 -5000 people on the continent with the americans having a permanent base at the south pole. Other countries with theiron slice include The UK,New Zealand,Chile,Argentina,France,Norway and Australia. Other countries are keen to claim their own slice partly due to the prospect of mineral wealth should the treaty ever be dissolved.
Antarticas other most famous residents are the vast colonies of penguins that reside here. With no pant life antarticas ecosysyem is dependent on the richnes of its marine life. With the key part of the chain being krill, whichmost larger animals rely on for food.
Antarctica Peninsula
The Antarctica peninsula is the most easily acessible part of Antarctica and extends towards the southern tip os South America across Drakes Passage. Many tourist voyages moor up in The Lemaire Channel where closely monitored excursions go ashore. Penguin viewing and occasionally camping ashore are possible.
Antarctic Wildlife Islands
Visit the Falklands- an outpost of British life,South Georgia,South Orkneys,South Shetland and Elephant Islnd made famous by Shackleton.Colonies of seabirds,whales and seals.
Icebergs and Penguins
Going ashore in Antarctica is subject to the controls of the Antartic Treaty but most expedition cruises provide penguin colony visits. Some offer sea kayaking through the icebergs or actually camoing on land.
The Arctic and Antartic have several things in common dark and cold in winter, light in summer,aurora lights,fantastic wildlife and abit tricky to get to- oh and ice! The Arctic summer is warmer due to the lack of land at the pole and the mealting of ice on the land- it can even be hot! If you re after polar bears and Inuit culture head north if you re lookin for penguins and a few research scientists head south.
Activities,trips and excursions
Arctic
The arctic is defined as the area to the north of the Arctic circle. Alaska,Canada,Greenland,Norway,Sweden, Finland 
and Russia all have land mass above the arctic circle. The Arctic Ocean is covered by sea ice in winter but in the summer the area decreases and some climatologists predict that the North Pole may be free of ice and become open water within the next 50 years during summer.
The Arctic recieves 24 hours daylight at the height od summer- the midight sun- and 24 hours of darkness in the depths of winter with the sun never rising.However winter allows the Aurora Borealis or Northern lights to be viewed. the Northern ligths appear when solar particles interact with the earths magnetic field.
Polar bears,caribou and reindeer live here.
Indigenous peoples include the Inuit tribes of North America and the Sami or Laps of finland. Both have a waste not want ot culture and use every resource to its full potential.
Politically the arctic is becoming more sensitive as global warming opens up larger areas of open sea mineral exploration and trade routes. The North West pasge over the top of Canada is now being used by trding ships. Russia has recently planted aflag on the ocean floor at the North Pole.
Arctic :Svalbard and Spitsbergen
The Svalbard Archipeligo lies 600 miles from the North Pole which has Spitsbergen as its largest island. Fantastic scenery of fjords,glaciers and reindeer,polar bears ,whales and seals to see. Bit chilly and wild at the top of the world.
Northern Scandinavia
Northern Norway,Sweden and and Finland. Dramatic fjords and Atlantic coastline in Norway and the North Cape the classic place to view the midnight sun. Take the Hurtigruten ferry for 14 day round trip from Bergen to the far north of Norway. Sweden and Finland offer endless forests,Laplanders and of course the real Father Christmas lives in Lapland. www.hurtigruten.com
Greenland
Greenland has the largest icesheet outside Antartica. Try dogsledding,snowmobiling,sea kayaking and ice fishing with the inuit. Wildlife viewing includes musk oxen and caribou.
Iceland
Just outside the arctic circle is the land of Ice and Fire. Created completely from volcanic eruptions this island has a dramatic landscape of multicoloured lava flows,waterfalls. Hotsprings bubble and the cotton grass blows in the breeze. Truly a land of elves.
Wikipedia Arctic OceanWikipedia Arctic
Wikipedia Arctic Circle
Wikipedia Greenland
Wikipedia Iceland
Wikipedia Alaska
Wikipedia Yukon
Wikipedia Antarctica
World Travel Guide Iceland
World Travel Guide Norway
World Travel Guide Sweden
World Travel Guide Finland
World Travel guide Antarctica