The Arctic Ocean surrounds the North Pole, roughly centered on it, embraced by the Eurasian and North American continents. Although the Arctic Ocean is a world of ice and snow with a frigid climate and long polar nights—conditions unfavorable for flora and fauna—it is not the barren, life-devoid wasteland one might imagine.
The plants on the islands surrounding the Arctic Ocean are primarily mosses and lichens, while some of the southern islands support cold-resistant herbaceous plants and small shrubs.
Among the animals, the polar bear—living on islands, drifting ice, and icebergs—is the most famous, having become the symbol of the Arctic. Other fauna include walruses, seals, snow hares, Arctic foxes, reindeer, and whales. The period from March 21 to September 23 every year is the polar day within the Arctic Circle, and organizing tours to view these animals during this time is the biggest selling point of Arctic tourism.
Chapter 117