In talking to people you often hear that when they talk about the Polar regions of the world they confuse some facts as if it is natural. Mostly we read about these regions not taking in which part the article refers too. Here are some differences. You will have to know the difference if you want to visit one of them.
Arctic
This area is on the northern end of the Earth and the North Pole is in the water. The big area is made up of the ocean and the land around it. The land is called the tundra. While you always have ice, the ice breaks up in summer. Just like the ocean the ice is also in constant motion. By staying on one place you can travel thousands of kilometers with the ice. There are people living in the areas around the North Pole. The Inuit is a group living in house today but used to live in igloos. They will still build an igloo when out hunting. The Sami people are from Russia and Scandinavia. Many of them have also given up the old ways of doing things and now live in towns. In 1909 Robert Peary became the first person to reach the North Pole.
Antarctic
On the southern tip of the Earth we find the Ant-arctic. This is land surrounded by the ocean. Nobody except scientists and animals live here. The land is colder than the Arctic. While you get seals, penguins, whales and other animals, it is only insects that can really live here. The others use the land as breeding ground but then get on the ice to go north again. The continent belongs to a few nations which also share it with more countries for scientific purposes. Robert Scott was set to reach the Pole first. On his way there he heard Amundsen was also hoping to reach the Pole. This competition was won by Amundsen who reached the Pole 35 days before Scott. Scott and all his men died on their way back. The hut he built, the one he never reached again is still a silent monument for the great effort the early explorers put in.
While you may think it does not matter if you confuse the two pars of the world, we know today that they are so vital in the Earth system that we need to study them and know exactly what can destroy them. When the break up of the pack ice started, it was a wonderful moment for the early people wanting to get to the Pole. Now the fact that the break up starts sooner than expected is a major concern for scientists. This is like the first cough of a child, an indication of what is coming. Only we do not know how serious the flu will be and how long it will last. We have just recovered from the last case of flu which lasted around a hundred thousand years. If you really have a passion for ice then grab a search engine and find a company that can take you to the Poles. Now you know that you will end up on the right one and which one you need to place a rock on.
