Where is the Arctic Circle?

Have you ever crossed the Arctic Circle? We don’t want to be overly dramatic, but it’s a life changing experience! Discover incredible places, spot iconic wildlife like polar bears and whales, and get to know the local culture of indigenous people. Explore and roam the blooming tundra with 24 hours of continuous daylight under the midnight sun. Experience the polar night and (with a little bit of luck) spot the northern lights. And while the Arctic Circle is an imaginary line encircling all of this Arctic beauty, the polar circle markers are real and you can visit them! Read on and find out what to see on and inside the Arctic Circle.

Geography of the Arctic Circle

As an invisible line, the Arctic Circle marks the north latitude on which the sun doesn’t set for the summer solstice and doesn’t rise during the winter solstice. Any territory below does not feature the polar day and night. The closer you are to the North Pole, the longer the duration of the polar night and day will be. The Arctic Circle, located at approximately 66° 34' north, is moving at a rate of 14,5m (48ft) a year, drifting northwards. Its circumference around the globe is roughly 16,000km (8,900 miles) and encircles 4 percent of the planet (or 20,000,000 square km/7,700,000 square miles).

Countries in the Arctic Circle

The imaginary line runs through landmass and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It encircles the Arctic Ocean, as well as eight countries: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. (Alaska). Each country has its unique way of marking the Arctic Circle’s location. One of the more creative ones is done on a small island in northern Iceland, Grimsey, where locals installed a concrete sphere and move it each year with the shifting location of the circle. Scroll down to our Arctic tourism section to find out which Arctic Circle markers you can visit in each country!

History of Human Presence in the Arctic

With around four million people residing in the Arctic today, human history in the region goes back thousands of years. The discovery of a slain mammoth in the Siberian permafrost in 2012, featuring spear marks, proved that humans already inhabited the Arctic around 45,000 years ago. Around 24,900-18,400 years ago, the Bering Land Bridge provided a route for people from Siberia to the North American continent, resulting in various migration waves.

At the end of the last glacial period (around 13,000-14,000 years ago), European hunters and gatherers started to arrive in the Scandinavian Arctic. Vikings landed in northern Scandinavia around 870-930 CE, introducing non-endemic plants and animals from their homelands. However, by 1411, the Vikings departed due to unfavorably changing climate conditions in the region.

From the 15th century polar exploration started, mainly to find Arctic shipping routes to China and India. From the 19th century, heroic polar explorers aimed to discover, map and conquer the Arctic and Antarctica, looking for fame and adventure. And Arctic shipping routes are still an relevant topic to this day. With present-day Arctic warming, new and shorter shipping routes are expected to open up in the near future, with the potential to reduce emissions, costs and time.

Currently there are 10 cities with a population over 30,000 in the Arctic Circle, around 60 polar research stations, as well as over 40 drifting stations (built on sea ice in the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole.)

Climate and Environmental Conditions

The high Arctic is a place of extremes, and this makes for a unique experience for visitors. Winters feature the polar night with up to 24 hours of darkness, while the polar day in summer offers 24 hours of daylight. Depending on the exact latitude, you may see various degrees of twilight based on the sun’s degree below the horizon. The darker months (autumn and winter) are also perfect for spotting the aurora borealis!

While average annual temperatures in the Arctic Circle range from around -6C to -12C (20F to 0F), they can vary greatly depending on the specific location. The Klinck weather station in central Greenland recorded a winter temperature low of -69.6C (-93.3F) in 1991, while the Siberian city of Verkhoyansk recorded an extreme summer high of 38C (100.4F) in June 2020. Directly at the North Pole, you can expect summer temperatures of around 0C (32F) and winter temperatures around -40C (-40F).

Wildlife in the Arctic Circle

If you visit the Arctic, you’ll likely spot iconic Arctic wildlife! Many creatures call the Arctic Ocean their home and during polar expeditions and cruises, you can see them in their natural habitat. Spot polar bears and seals on the sea ice, look for whales breaching in the ocean, see Arctic foxes and reindeer roaming the tundra, and watch rare seabirds such as puffins, Arctic skuas, snow buntings and pink-footed geese. If you want to travel to the land of polar bears, come aboard our Arctic Wildlife Safari cruise! Check all dates and details here:

Flora of the Arctic

Despite the harsh polar climate, long winters and permafrost, over 1,700 species of flowering plants, shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens thrive in the Arctic ecosystems. During the short summers, the blooming tundra boasts an array of flowering plants such as Arctic cottongrass, Labrador tea, Arctic poppy, purple and yellow marsh saxifrage, moss campion and Arctic willow. Arctic plants are perfectly adapted to the harsh climate and survive by growing fast. Many plants can start photosynthesis while still covered by snow (and the dense snow cover provides insulation from extreme temperatures). Arctic plants have also adjusted to very short growing seasons by reproducing asexually due to the limited time each year they get to attract pollinators.

Indigenous Peoples and Settlements

There are around four million circumpolar peoples living in the Arctic and around 10 percent are indigenous cultures. There are different indigenous groups living near the Arctic Circle region: the Saami (Finland, Sweden, Norway and in the Russian Arctic), Nenets, Khanty, Evenk and Chukchi (Russia), Yupik and several groups of Inuit people in Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

Unique Arctic Phenomena

There are a few unique experiences you can only enjoy right at or north of the Arctic Circle. Its intensity varies depending on your latitude:

• Midnight sun and polar day (around May/June, reaching its maximum around the summer solstice)

• Northern Lights (from around September to March)

• Polar night (24 hours of darkness with a perfect display for aurora borealis, usually from December to mid-January)

• Coming soon: solar eclipse 2026 (Svalbard, Iceland, eastern and northern Greenland will experience a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026)

Arctic Circle Tourism and Experiences

Experience the beauty of the polar regions! Visit the Arctic to spot aurora borealis, see the midnight sun, polar day and night. Arctic tourism offers a lot of activities such as outdoor sports, wildlife watching and cultural experiences. And the action doesn’t only start north of the Arctic Circle, but right at it! Arctic Circle tours are popular and there are fun activities to enjoy right at the northern polar circle. Find out where to go to make the most of your Arctic Circle adventure:

Arctic Circle Center in Storforshei (Norway)

See the marble path running through the center of town that marks the Arctic Circle. Visit the souvenir shop and purchase a northern-themed gift to take home. Try local delicacies such as reindeer burgers and steaks at the Arctic Bistro.

Nordland Railway (Norway)

This picturesque train journey will take you from Trondheim to Bodø while crossing the Arctic Circle en route. It’s a real Arctic adventure for any season: during the polar night you can see northern lights and during the summer you can see beautiful tundra landscapes under the midnight sun.

Santa Claus Village (Finland)

Visit Santa Claus’ homestead on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, located around eight kilometers north of the city. The clearly marked line runs through Santa’s village and there are lots of activities for the entire family.

Grimsey Island (Iceland)

A concrete sphere marks the Arctic Circle location on the small island and is moved each year when the exact location of the circle shifts.

Arctic Circle in Alaska (U.S.)

Head to Fairbanks in Alaska’s interior and book a tour to the Arctic Circle while experiencing the incredible landscapes along the Gates of the Arctic National Park. You can either book a guided tour by minivan, take a small plane or drive yourself along the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle marker.

Canadian Arctic Circle Experience

If you love road trips, head north on the Dempster Highway and stop at the polar circle marker in the middle of the Canadian Arctic tundra. It’s Canada’s only highway crossing the Arctic Circle and leads through incredible landscapes with lakes, creeks and mountains.

Swedish Lapland Arctic Circle Markers

Several routes will cross the Arctic Circle and feature a marker. One of them is road 99, where the circle crosses near the village of Juoksengi.

Salekhard Arctic Circle Monument (Russia)

The northern Russian city Salekhard is the only in the world directly located on the circle. The 66 parallel monument is an impressive structure that lights up at night.

The Changing Arctic Circle

The exact latitude of the Arctic Circle depends on the Earth’s axial tilt toward or away from the sun, which is shifting by more than 2 degrees over a period of 41,000 years. At the moment, the Arctic Circle is drifting north at around 14,5m (48ft) per year. With many Arctic Circle markers around the world, one small Icelandic community committed to recording its gradual shift. The remote island of Grimsey in northern Iceland is tracking the circle’s migration with a giant concrete sphere and every year the sphere is moved slightly to keep up with its exact location. If you want to see this iconic sphere (or stand on the Arctic Circle on Grimsey), we recommend making the trip approximately within the next 25 years! At the current speed of the Arctic Circle moving northwards, it will leave Grimsey by around 2050.

Arctic Council

There are eight members of the Arctic Council: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. (Alaska). Established in 1996 by the Ottawa Declaration, this intergovernmental forum deals with issues concerning the Arctic regions, offering a treaty-based platform for peaceful cooperation, sustainable development and the use of Arctic natural resources, as well as environmental protection for the region. The council provides for representation of indigenous groups residing in one of the Arctic states. Apart from Iceland, each of the Arctic member states has indigenous communities living on its territory. As of 2023, six communities hold permanent participant status at the council.

FAQs

What city is closest to the Arctic Circle?

The only city located directly on the Arctic Circle is Salekhard in Russia (the Arctic Circle passes through the city). The next closest is Rovaniemi in Finland, located 6km (4 miles) south of the Arctic Circle.

Is Norway above the Arctic Circle?

Around 96,225 km2 (37,000 square miles) of Norway are above the Arctic Circle, running approximately through the middle of the country.

Who controls the Arctic Circle?

The land and ocean inside the Arctic Circle are under the jurisdiction of the respective Arctic countries within the Arctic Circle: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. (Alaska). The Arctic Council, established in 1996, is an intergovernmental forum addressing issues concerning the Arctic region and providing grounds for cooperation.

Can you see the northern lights inside the Arctic Circle?

Yes, the best time to see the aurora borealis is from late August until early April.

What are the eight countries in the Arctic Circle?

Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. (Alaska) are part of the Arctic region.