Long days and nights affect regions of several countries, located near or above the
Arctic Circle
.
In this way, in some cities and towns in the region, there may be less than three hours of sunlight a day and, practically, it disappears for more than 24 hours.
This phenomenon, known as
polar night
, is caused by the
tilt of the Earth's axis
.
During this period of almost total darkness, the sun remains below the horizon in the areas closest to the poles, both the North and the South.
In summer, an opposite phenomenon occurs, also caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis and known as the
midnight sun,
due to which the days become endless.
What country has 6 months of day and 6 months of night?
The
Svalbard Islands
, halfway between
mainland
Norway and the North Pole, are the place in that country where the
midnight sun
lasts the longest: from April 20 to August 22.
That is, during almost the entire
European summer
.
Inhabited by 2,500 people and about 3,000 polar bears, Svalbard has belonged to Norway since 1920 and for decades its main economic activity was coal extraction.
Now, tourism and
scientific research
also stand out .
Its capital, Longyearbyen, is a small city where the vast majority of the population lives.
The fascination with the midnight sun and the
northern lights
has made it a destination for visitors who dare to endure extreme temperatures (in summer, maximum temperatures are usually around 6° C).
Just as above the Arctic Circle there is total darkness in winter, in summer we experience the opposite phenomenon, endless days in which it never gets dark.
In
Barrow
, renamed Utqiagvik, the northernmost town in the
United States
, located in Alaska, its inhabitants usually say goodbye to the sun on November 18 and prepare for a polar night that generally lasts until January 23.
Still, darkness is never total because, as The Weather Channel reports, if the sun remains six degrees below the horizon there is still enough light for objects to be visible outside.
This allows Barrow's 4,500 residents to carry out some of their usual activities, such as hunting and fishing.
Of course, during the summer, the opposite phenomenon occurs and, therefore, between
May and August
, it always remains above the horizon.
As in Svalbard, the midnight sun attracts some visitors.
Along with the northern lights, visible during winter, the midnight sun attracts more and more tourists in northern Norway.
Illustrative photo: REUTERS/Alexander Kuznetsov.
With about 300,000 inhabitants, the Russian port of
Murmansk
is also affected by the
polar night
, which extends there between December 2 and January 11.
That is, almost 40 days with insufficient sunlight.
The
economic activity
of Murmansk, however, never stops since the warm current of the North Atlantic prevents the water from freezing and means that
coal can be exported
there both in winter and summer.
Of course, you have to dress very warmly because Murmansk has recorded temperatures of -39° C in January.
Similar conditions are observed in
Tromso
(Norway) where the
polar night
lasts between November 27 and January 15.
Here, despite the cold and snow, tourism flourishes because many people travel to practice winter sports, watch whales or participate in its jazz and film festivals.