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Are there any cities in the Arctic Circle?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 22, 2026

Human habitation

Salekhard (51,186) in Russia is the only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle. In contrast, the largest North American community north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut (Greenland), has approximately 5,000 inhabitants.

How many cities are in the Arctic Circle?

There are 10 cities with a population of around 30,000 or more which are north of the Arctic Circle and therefore have at least one day per year when the sun never rises. All of these cities are in Russia (mostly the northwest) or Norway.

Does anyone live in the Arctic Circle?

While the total population of the Arctic Circle is only four million people, there are a number of cities that thrive in the region, such as Murmansk, Russia (population 295,374), Tromsø, Norway (population 75,638), and Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), Alaska (population 4,581).

What major cities are in the Arctic?

Whitehorse (32,308) and Yellowknife (21,888), the capitals of Yukon and the Northwest Territories respectively, are the two largest cities in the region. Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is the third largest with a population of 7,740.

What city is closest to the Arctic Circle?

Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. Longyearbyen is the starting point of our arctic cruise in the Svalbard archipelago.

38 related questions found

Is there a town in North Pole?

Welcome to Longyearbyen — the nearest town to the North Pole.

What is the farthest north you can go?

Isolated on the polar archipelago of Svalbard at 78 degrees north, Longyearbyen is the world's northernmost permanent settlement.

What is the most populated city in the Arctic Circle?

Murmansk is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle, and one of the largest ports in Russia. The city lies on the rocky eastern coast of Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.

Is Iceland in Arctic Circle?

The majority of Iceland's land mass sits just south of the Arctic Circle, with only the small island of Grímsey located partially inside the Arctic Circle.

Is Anchorage in the Arctic Circle?

Answer and Explanation: Anchorage is situated at 61.2 N, which is more than 5 degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Alaska is often considered to be Arctic in climate,...

Is Helsinki in the Arctic Circle?

The distance between Helsinki and Arctic Circle is 754 km. The road distance is 1009.1 km.

Do penguins live in Arctic?

All penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere – there are no penguins in the Arctic.

Is Scotland in the Arctic Circle?

The land within the Arctic Circle is divided among eight countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (Alaska), Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey).

Is Canada in the Arctic Circle?

Canada and the Arctic region

Nearly 40 percent of Canada's land mass is considered Arctic and Northern, consisting of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, and the northern parts of several provinces. Canada's Arctic is home to approximately 150,000 inhabitants, of which more than half are Indigenous.

How cold is the Arctic Circle?

Winter temperatures can drop below -58° F (-50° C) ,and summer temperatures can occasionally exceed 86° F (30° C). Now, the Arctic is marked as the climatic laboratory for the rest of the planet.

Which state of the USA is within the Arctic Circle?

The United States and the Arctic Region

The United States became an Arctic nation upon the purchase of Alaska in 1867. Regions above the Arctic Circle include the North Slope Borough, the Northwest Arctic Borough and the Nome Census area. Alaska is the largest and the least densely populated state in the United States.

Is Nuuk in the Arctic Circle?

Nuuk is located at approximately 64°10′N 51°44′W at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua (formerly Baal's River), some 10 km (6.2 mi) from the shores of the Labrador Sea on the southwestern coast of Greenland, and about 240 km (150 mi) south of the Arctic Circle.

What country owns the Arctic Circle?

Eight countries have territory within it: America (through Alaska), Canada, Denmark (by virtue of Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden.

What Alaskan city is closest to the North Pole?

Located 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle is the tiny town of Utqiagvik, Alaska. This northernmost city in the U.S. is also home to the largest Inupiat Eskimo community in the world.

Does the port of Murmansk freeze?

Murmansk seaport is one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia and forms the backbone of the economy of the city.

Does anyone live in northern Canada?

Today several million people live in the near north, around 15% of the Canadian total.

Has anyone reached North Pole?

In the last five years, only one unsupported, unassisted expedition has completed the journey to the North Pole, compared to seven from 2005 to 2010. "They're done," says Richard Weber, an Arctic pioneer from Canada who has skied to the North Pole six times, more than anyone in history.

What is the most northern city in the United States?

Utqiagvik is the northernmost city in the United States and the ninth northernmost city in the world. It is 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

Does anyone live in the North Pole?

No one actually lives at the North Pole. Inuit people, who live in the nearby Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, and Russia, have never made homes at the North Pole. The ice is constantly moving, making it nearly impossible to establish a permanent community.