IP Factly - 101 Facts... Polar Animals! Polar Animal Books for Kids (101 Animal Facts Book 9)

The North and South Poles are the parts of the Earth that receive the least amount of heat from the Sun. Because of this, they are the coldest places on Earth. At the North Pole, temperatures range from 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 Celsius) to as much as 45 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) below zero while at the South Pole, it is even colder, the temperature dipping to as low as negative 128 degrees Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius)! These extremely cold temperatures are responsible for the formation of huge amounts of ice.

At both the North and South Poles, the sun is never high up in the sky, but hovers just above the horizon.

At the North Pole, there are four seasons winter, spring, summer and fall, with winter and summer being the longer seasons. In winter from November to February there are days when the Sun does not rise at all. In summer the Sun does not set and it is constantly daytime.

During summer, some of the sea ice in the North Pole melts while some stays frozen all year long. Due to global warming, studies show that more and more of the sea ice melts every summer, making scientists believe that Arctic summers may eventually be completely free of ice.

Broken Glaciers of North Pole by Pranav

At the South Pole, there are only two seasons winter and summer, each lasting six months. In winter from March to September there is no sunlight and sometimes it is completely dark except for the faint moonlight. In summer, the Sun is constantly above the horizon.

Snow falls on both the North and South Poles but falls more heavily and more frequently at the South Pole. Sometimes, in Antarctica, there is so much snow that the ice sheets sink below sea level. In the Arctic, there are only certain places that are covered with snow all year round.

Blizzards occur every year in the Arctic and the Antarctic. These are massive snowstorms with strong winds and large amounts of snow. Ice storms, which have little wind but have freezing rain, also occur.

Some plants do grow in the Arctic tundra but in the Antarctic, only mosses and two species of flowering plants can be found, which only grow for a short time each year.

There are about two million people living in the Arctic Circle, many of whom belong to ethnic groups who have their culture tied to life in the Arctic. In the Antarctic, as few as 4000 people can be found, living in research stations, and more than half of them leave during winter.

Because of these harsh conditions at the North and South Poles, in order to survive, polar animals have to do at least two things keep themselves warm and find food.