The Arctic is that area having a polar climate, where the mean temperature of the warmest month does not exceed 10° C/50° F. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, bordered by the northern parts of the mainlands of North American and Eurasia, and their outlying islands. Some of these islands are mountainous with interior icecaps, such as Greenland and the northern half of Novaya Zemlaya. Others are low-lying and not glaciated, such as Wrangel Island and the western islands of the Canadian Arctic. It is a land of seasonal hibernation. Strong surface winds occur resulting in a severe windchill, and abundant drifting snow in winter. Instead of tree growth there is tundra vegetation that includes grasses, sedges, mosses, lichens, and shrubs...all low-standing plants that exist on permafrost soils that are frozen solid throughout most of the year, (except for a short but intense growing time during the summer.) Without benefit of a forest for protection animals must learn how to survive in the harshest of circumstances.
 
The Arctic Ocean is a big ocean, in areas approximately twice the size of the Mediterranean. It is also very deep, plunging 4,000 meters in the center. It is mostly covered by pack-ice (frozen sea-water) averaging three meters thick.  
In terms of marine life, because the waters of the Arctic are permanently covered with a layer of drifting pack ice, sunlight never deeply penetrates the surface waters to nourish and encourage biological growth. It is only near the land or in the Subarctic where the pack-ice is seasonal and the waters are warmer and richer in nutrients, that there is a proliferation of plant and animal life that encompasses the total spectrum of the food chain from microscopic phytoplankton to walruses and whales.

The people native to the coastal regions of Labrador, Greenland, The Northwest Territories, Alaska and northeastern Siberia, have many cultural traits in common that differ from those of adjacent Indian tribes. The word "Eskimo" comes from eskipot, an Algonquian word meaning "an eater of raw flesh." Some Eskimos feel this attribution puts them in a poor light with modern audiences and prefer to use other terms. The most widely used is "Inuit" which really refers specifically to the Eskimos of the eastern Canadian Arctic. In the Bering Sea region, Eskimos prefer to be called "Yup'ik," while the North Slope Alaska Eskimos prefer "Inupiat" and Mackenzie Delta Eskimos prefer "Inuvialuit."

ARCTIC CRUISE ITINERARIES

The North Pole  

The icebreaker, Yamal, is one of the very few of the world's most powerful ships to have made the fantastic journey all the way to 90°N - the North Pole. This voyage to the "Top of the World" is the ultimate journey of adventure and discovery.

Arctic Adventures

Once again we have designed yet another series of fascinating voyages of discovery aboard the polar icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov. Our first voyage of the season, Russia's Far East & Wrangel Island, will give you the chance to be among the few to have visited Wrangel Island, a world famous nature reserve, whilst our Northwest Passage - The Amundsen Route voyage will bring alive the endeavours of those who charted the Arctic. Journey to Tanquary Fjord, Ellesmere Island and Greenland where we will visit the stunning glaciers and valleys of this region and call on some of the most remote communities in the world.

The High Arctic: Canada and Greenland

Demand for High Arctic expeditions always exceeds capacity, so we are excited to announce the addition of one more voyage - The High Arctic: Canada & Greenland. Discover the contemporary life of indingenous peoples in two Arctic communities, Resolute, Canada and Qaanaaq, Greenland. Delve into the past on Beechey Island. Throughout the expedition encounter wildlife in their natural environment via Zodiac and helicopter.