Arctic << AHRK tihk or AHR tihk, >> Circle, is an imaginary line that runs through the northern parts of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Scandinavia. All points on the Arctic Circle lie at 66°33′ north latitude, 1,624 miles (2,613 kilometers) from the north geographic pole.
The Arctic Circle marks the edge of an area where the sun stays above the horizon one or more days each year. The sun never sets there on the longest day of summer, about June 21. The sun never rises on the Arctic Circle during the shortest day of winter, about December 21. At the North Pole itself, the sun is visible 90 days before and 90 days after June 21 if the sky is clear. It stays below the horizon for the same time before and after December 21. See Midnight sun .
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