Nations, Arctic Circle

Eight nations hold territories within the Arctic Circle, each with varying degrees of land, population, and economic interest.

Russia holds more than 50% of the Arctic coastline and has the largest Arctic population, with over 2 million people living from Murmansk in the west (the largest city above the Circle) to Chukotka in the east, where crossing the narrowest gap, called the Bering Strait, leads to the Alaskan coastline, making the United States the second nation on the list.

Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) is the northernmost city in the United States and home to the Inupiat people.  While a modern city, traditional hunting and fishing remain important aspects of Inupiat culture.

Neighbouring Alaska is Canada and its three Arctic territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, along with the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, which contains several islands, including Baffin, Ellesmere, and Victoria.  Less than 1% of Canada’s population lives in this region, over half of whom are Indigenous.  Alert, on Ellesmere Island, is the world’s northernmost continuously inhabited place, located only 508 mi (817km) from the North Pole.

Continuing east is Greenland, part of Denmark.  More than 80% of this area lies within the Arctic Circle, covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, the second largest after the Antarctic Ice Sheet.  This incredible island is home to over150 fjords and 215 glaciers. 

Southeast of Greenland, just below the Arctic Circle, is Iceland, which makes the list as one of the nations because the tiny Grimsey Island lies within the Circle.

Let’s paddle across the Greenland and Norwegian Seas to Norway, Sweden, and Finland.  Norway’s Tromso is a hub for Arctic research and Nordkapp with its flat cape is the ideal spot to observe the midnight sun.  While within the Arctic Circle, Sweden doesn’t actually border the Arctic Ocean, as its northern border abuts neighbouring countries.  It is famous for the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi, where the rooms are carved entirely of ice and snow.

Completing the circle is Finland, where Rovaniemi sits right on the Arctic Circle.  At Santa Claus Village, a line drawn on the ground marks the exact spot – step across it, and you’ve entered the Arctic.

All eight nations are members of the Arctic Council, and Iceland host the annual assembly.  They work together on issues affecting the Arctic region, such as climate change, Indigenous rights, wildlife conservation and environmental protection.