The Marvelous Landscapes of the Arctic World

Fülszöveg

jl. or centuries, humans have had a special fascination for the Arctic that has driven them to explore its seas and lands and to become familiar with life above and below the Arctic ice. This book documents this extraordinary place, where imposing landscapes, beautiful flora and fauna and the traditions of populations who have lived here for a thousand years merge in the glacial immensity of this far northern edge of the Earth.
The Arctic includes the regions on the northern edge of the Earth, which have exclusive characteristics that make them a world apart. Their geographical and astronomical position causes these territories to have long periods of total darkness in the winter and endless days during the summer. The sea is covered with a thick crust of ice, the ice pack, the size of which varies depending on the season. Immense glaciers occupy a portion of the land above sea level, and as they flow to the sea they create spectacular icebergs. In the remaining territories as... Tovább

Fülszöveg

jl. or centuries, humans have had a special fascination for the Arctic that has driven them to explore its seas and lands and to become familiar with life above and below the Arctic ice. This book documents this extraordinary place, where imposing landscapes, beautiful flora and fauna and the traditions of populations who have lived here for a thousand years merge in the glacial immensity of this far northern edge of the Earth.
The Arctic includes the regions on the northern edge of the Earth, which have exclusive characteristics that make them a world apart. Their geographical and astronomical position causes these territories to have long periods of total darkness in the winter and endless days during the summer. The sea is covered with a thick crust of ice, the ice pack, the size of which varies depending on the season. Immense glaciers occupy a portion of the land above sea level, and as they flow to the sea they create spectacular icebergs. In the remaining territories as well, the snow melts only a few months a year, depending on latitude. After the spring thaw the ground looks like a desolate expanse dotted by millions of lakes and marshes that make the land nearly impassable. Yet, faced with a seemingly hostile environment, plants, animals and people have learned how to adapt and specialize to survive in these lands, and are even today viewed with a mixture of curiosity and fear by those raised in more southern latitudes. Over time, a deeper knowledge of the environment and similarities in the lifestyles of local populations have revealed to explorers and travelers a world which not only can be survived, but is full of life, even where it seems impossible. The Arctic, dark and deserted during the winter, when only a few sedentary creatures can be spotted, transforms into an explosion of life as the days lengthen and millions of birds come here to nest, while the sea, partially freed of the ice pack, allows thousands of pinnipeds to come to land, mate and give birth in an endless seasonal cycle. Thus, the Arctic is not just a gray, cold place. When the first rays of the sun warm it, the natural setting becomes magnificent. Then, faced with the vastness and beauty of its landscapes, one feels small and insignificant, moved to regard this still essentially intact world with awe and amazement. Vissza