POLAR REGIONS

Introduction

The Beginning of Polar Discovery

T he poles are the coldest places on Earth. Their brilliant whiteness reflects the light of the Sun, so they never get warm. The lowest temperature ever recorded is –128°F (– 89°C) in Antarctica. At that temperature a cup of boiling water thrown into the air freezes instantly. The poles are also very windy. The cold wind and endless expanse of ice make the polar regions very tough places in which to live. Arctic People Because of the climate of the polar regions and the lack of food, it was thought that no one could live there. In fact about 20,000 years ago people migrated north from North America and Eurasia into the Arctic. They would go north in the warmer summer months to hunt and fish, and in the winter head back south again.

T his mask was made 2,500 years ago by the first true Arctic people. They were called the Dorset Culture.

I nuit can travel in summer by day or night, as the sun never sets.

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