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Arctic is the region of continuous cold around the North Pole. It includes the Arctic Ocean, thousands of islands, and the northern parts of the continents of Europe, Asia, and North America. Men long believed that the Arctic was a cold barren place where people could not live. But explorers and scientists found that, except for Greenland, nine-tenth of all arctic lands have no snow and ice in summer. Berries, vegetables, and flowers grow in a few places. The sun never shines on much of the Arctic during the winter. But it shines on the entire region for at least part of the day from March to September.

The Arctic has great importance to man. Information from arctic weather stations helps scientists predict the weather farther south – in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States. The airplanes that fly over the Arctic daily from Europe to Los Angeles do what men had dreamed of doing for hundreds of years. They are following a short route between Europe and the Pacific Ocean.

Northern nations such as Canada, Russia, and the United States have built military installations in the Arctic to protect their frontiers and trade routes. To build these installations, men have had to learn many things about this harsh region. Engineers have learned how to construct houses on the permanently frozen soil, and scientists have studied the plant and animal life to find ways that people can survive in the Arctic.