North Pole
21836
225727126
2008-07-15T02:52:09Z
86.134.12.139
Undo. 89 deg 40 minutes is about 20 nautical miles from the Pole. I don't know why the source says "60 km", but "60 nautical miles" is not an improvement.
{{coor title d|90|N|0|W|}}
{{otheruses}}
[[Image:Arctic Ocean.png|275px|thumb|right|An [[Map projection#Azimuthal .28projections onto a plane.29|Azimuthal projection]] showing the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole.]]
[[Image:Noaa3-2006-0602-1206.jpg|thumb|275px|North Pole scenery]]
The '''North Pole''', also known as the '''Geographic North Pole''' or '''Terrestrial North Pole''', is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface. It should not be confused with the [[North Magnetic Pole]].
The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth, lying diametrically opposite the [[South Pole]]. It defines [[latitude]] 90° North, as well as the direction of [[True North]]. At the North Pole all directions point south.
While the South Pole lies on a continental [[antarctica|land mass]], the North Pole is located in the middle of the [[Arctic Ocean]], amidst waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. This makes it impossible to construct a permanent station at the North Pole (unlike the [[South Pole]]). However, the [[Soviet Union]], and later [[Russia]], have constructed a number of [[Soviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations|manned drifting stations]], some of which have passed over or very close to the Pole. Recently, scientists have predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free by 2050 due to [[Arctic shrinkage]].<ref>[http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/ "What is Global Warming?"], climatecrisis.net</ref> More pessimistic predictions claim that the Arctic ice-cap may temporarily disappear in mid 2008.<ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/01/content_7696460.htm Expert: Arctic polar cap may disappear this summer_English_Xinhua<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/index.html North Pole could be ice-free this summer, scientists say], CNN, June 27, 2008</ref>
The sea depth at the North Pole has been measured at 4,261 metres (13,980 ft).<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL0286134520070802 Russian sub plants flag at North Pole], Reuters, Aug 2, 2007</ref> The nearest land is usually said to be [[Kaffeklubben Island]], off the northern coast of Greenland about 440 miles (c. 700 km) away, though some perhaps non-permanent gravel banks lie slightly further north.
==Precise definition==
:''See also: [[Polar motion]].''
The Earth's axis of rotation – and hence the position of the North Pole – was commonly believed to be fixed (relative to the surface of the Earth) until, in the 18th century, the mathematician [[Leonhard Euler]] predicted that the axis might "wobble" slightly. Around the beginning of the 20th century astronomers noticed a small apparent "variation of latitude", as determined for a fixed point on Earth from the observation of stars. Part of this variation could be attributed to a wandering of the Pole across the Earth's surface, by a range of a few meters. The wandering has several periodic components and an irregular component. The component with a period of about 435 days is identified with the 8 month wandering predicted by Euler and is now called the [[Chandler wobble]] after its discoverer. This "wobble" means that a (fixed) definition of the Pole based on the axis of rotation is not useful when metre-scale precision is required.
It is desirable to tie the system of Earth coordinates ([[latitude]], [[longitude]], and elevations or [[orography]]) to fixed landforms. Of course, given [[continental drift]] and the rising and falling of land due to [[volcano]]es, [[erosion]] and so on, there is no system in which all geographic features are fixed. Yet the [[International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service]] and the [[International Astronomical Union]] have defined a framework called the [[International Terrestrial Reference System]]. The North Pole of this system now defines geographic North for precision work, and it does not quite coincide with the rotation axis.
==Expeditions==
:''See also: [[Polar exploration]] and [[List of firsts]]''
===Pre-1900===
As early as the sixteenth century, many eminent people believed that the North Pole was in a sea, and in the nineteenth century it was called the [[Polynia]] or circumpolar sea.<ref>John K. Wright ''Geographical Review'', Vol. 43, No. 3. (Jul., 1953), pp. 338-365 "The Open Polar Sea"</ref> It was therefore hoped that passage could be found through ice floes at favorable times of the year. Several expeditions set out to find the way, generally with whaling ships, already commonly used in the cold northern latitudes.
One of the earliest expeditions to set out with the explicit intention of reaching the North Pole was that of British naval officer [[William Edward Parry]], who in 1827 reached latitude 82°45′ North. The [[Polaris expedition]], an 1871 American attempt on the Pole led by [[Charles Francis Hall]], ended in disaster.
In April 1895 the Norwegian explorers [[Fridtjof Nansen]] and [[Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen]] reached latitude 86°14′ North, skiing after leaving Nansen's ship ''[[Fram]]''. In 1897 the Swedish engineer [[Salomon August Andrée]] with two companions tried to reach the North Pole in the hydrogen balloon ''Örnen'' ('Eagle'), but they stranded 300 km north of [[Kvitøya]], the northeasternmost part of the [[Svalbard]] [[Archipelago]], and perished on this lonely island. In 1930 the remains of this expedition were found by the Norwegian [[Bratvaag Expedition]].
===1900–1940===
The American explorer [[Frederick Albert Cook]] claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908 with two Inuit men, [[Ahwelah]] and [[Etukishook]], but he was unable to produce convincing proof and his claim is not widely accepted.<ref>Henderson, B. (2005) ''True North'' W W Norton & Company ISBN 0 393 32738 8</ref>
The conquest of the North Pole was for many years credited to American Navy engineer [[Robert Edwin Peary]], who claimed to have reached the Pole on [[April 6]], [[1909]], accompanied by American [[Matthew Henson]] and four [[Inuit]] men named [[Ootah]], [[Seeglo]], [[Egigingwah]], and [[Ooqueah]]. However, Peary's claim remains controversial. The party that accompanied Peary on the final stage of the journey included no one who was trained in navigation and could independently confirm his own navigational work, which some claim to have been particularly sloppy as he approached the Pole.
The distances and speeds that Peary claimed to have achieved once the last support party turned back seem incredible to many people, almost three times that which he had accomplished up to that point. Peary's account of a journey to the Pole and back – the only strategy that might have allowed him to travel at such a speed – is contradicted by Henson's account of tortuous detours to avoid [[pressure ridge]]s and [[open lead]]s.
The British explorer [[Wally Herbert]], initially a supporter of Peary, researched Peary's records in 1989 and concluded that they must have been falsified and that Peary had not reached the Pole<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-wally-herbert-453324.html Obituary, ''The Independent'' June 16, 2007]</ref>. Support for Peary came again in 2005 when the British explorer [[Tom Avery]] and four companions recreated the outward portion of Peary's journey with replica wooden sleds and [[Canadian Eskimo Dog]] teams, reaching the North Pole in 36 days, 22 hours – nearly five hours faster than Peary. Avery writes on his web site that "The admiration and respect which I hold for Robert Peary, Matthew Henson and the four Inuit men who ventured North in 1909, has grown enormously since we set out from Cape Columbia. Having now seen for myself how he travelled across the pack ice, I am more convinced than ever that Peary did indeed discover the North Pole."<ref>[http://www.tomavery.net/gallery_np2005.html Tom Avery website], retrieved May 2007</ref> However, the conditions faced by Avery were very different from those facing Peary.
The first claimed flight over the Pole was made on [[May 9]], [[1926]] by US naval officer [[Richard E. Byrd]] and pilot [[Floyd Bennett]] in a [[Fokker tri-motor]] aircraft. Although verified at the time by the [[US Navy]] and a committee of the [[National Geographic Society]], this claim has since been disputed.<ref>[http://library.osu.edu/sites/archives/polar/flight/controversy.php The North Pole Flight of Richard E. Byrd: An Overview of the Controversy], Byrd Polar Research Center of The Ohio State University</ref>
The first undisputed sighting of the Pole was on [[May 12]] [[1926]] by [[Norway|Norwegian]] explorer [[Roald Amundsen]] and his [[United States|American]] sponsor [[Lincoln Ellsworth]] from the [[airship]] ''[[Airship Norge|Norge]]''. ''Norge'', though Norwegian owned, was designed and piloted by the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Umberto Nobile]]. The flight started from [[Svalbard]] and crossed the icecap to [[Alaska]]. Nobile, along with several scientists and crew from the ''Norge'', overflew the Pole a second time on [[May 24]] [[1928]] in the airship ''[[Airship Italia|Italia]]''. The ''Italia'' crashed on its return from the Pole, with the loss of half the crew.
===1940–2000===
In May 1945, an [[RAF]] [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] of the ''Aries'' expedition became the first [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] aircraft to overfly the North Geographic and North Magnetic Poles. The plane was piloted by David Cecil McKinley of the [[Royal Air Force]]. It carried an 11-man crew, with Kenneth C. Maclure of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] in charge of all scientific observations. In 2006, Maclure was honoured with a spot in the Canadian Aviation Hall Of Fame.<ref>[http://www.legionmagazine.com/features/canadianmilitaryhistory/04-01.asp The Aries Flights Of 1945], Hugh A. Halliday, ''Legion Magazine''</ref>
Discounting Peary's disputed claim, the first men to set foot at the North Pole were, according to some sources, a Soviet Union party. These are variously described as including Pavel Gordiyenko (or Geordiyenko) and three<ref> Guinness Book of Records, 1998 edition</ref> or five<ref>[http://www.dioi.org/vols/w43.pdf Concise Chronology of Approaches to the Poles], R. K. Headland, DIO Vol. 4 No. 3</ref> others, or Aleksandr Kuznetsov and 23 others,<ref>[http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/infosheets/21.html Concise chronology of approach to the poles], Scott Polar Research Institute</ref> who landed a plane (or planes) there on [[April 23]] [[1948]]. According to Antarctica.org, three [[Li-2]] planes landed, carrying a total of seven men.<ref>[http://www.antarctica.org/old/UK/Envirn/pag/arctique/page_History3a_UK.htm Antarctica.org]</ref>
On [[May 3]], [[1952]], U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel [[Joseph O. Fletcher]] and Lieutenant [[William P. Benedict]], along with scientist [[Albert P. Crary]], landed a modified [[C-47 Skytrain]] at the North Pole. Some sources consider this (rather than the Soviet mission) to be the first ever landing at the Pole.<ref>[http://www.centennialofflight.gov/user/fact_may.htm Aviation History Facts], U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission</ref>
The United States Navy submarine ''[[USS Nautilus (SSN-571)|USS Nautilus]]'' (SSN-571) crossed the North Pole on [[August 3]], [[1958]], and on [[March 17]], [[1959]], the ''[[USS Skate (SSN-578)|USS Skate]]'' (SSN-578) surfaced at the Pole, becoming the first naval vessel to do so.
Setting aside Peary's claim, the first confirmed surface conquest of the North Pole was that of [[Ralph Plaisted]], [[Walter Pederson|Walt Pederson]], [[Gerald Pitzl|Gerry Pitzl]] and [[Jean Luc Bombardier]], who traveled over the ice by [[snowmobile]] and arrived on [[April 19]], [[1968]]. The [[United States Air Force]] independently confirmed their position.
On [[April 6]] [[1969]], [[Wally Herbert|Sir Wally Herbert]] and companions Allan Gill, Roy Koerner and Kenneth Hedges of the [[British Trans-Arctic Expedition]] became the first men to reach the North Pole on foot (albeit with the aid of dog teams and air drops). They continued on to complete the first surface crossing of the [[Arctic Ocean]] – and by its longest axis, [[Barrow, Alaska]] to [[Svalbard]] – a feat that has never been repeated.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1927969.ece Obituary of Sir Wally Herbert], Times Online, 13 June, 2007</ref><ref name=guardianobit>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2103675,00.html Obituary of Sir Wally Herbert], Guardian Unlimited, 15 June 2007</ref> Because of suggestions of Plaisted's use of air transport, some sources classify Herbert's expedition as the first confirmed to reach the North Pole over the ice surface by any means.<ref name=guardianobit/><ref>[http://www.northpolewomen.com/History.htm] northpolewomen.com</ref>
On [[August 17]], [[1977]], the [[Soviet]] [[nuclear powered icebreaker]] ''[[Arktika class icebreaker|Arktika]]'' completed the first surface vessel journey to the North Pole.
===21st century===
[[Image:Chralotte Northpole.jpg|thumb|right|275px|USS Charlotte (SSN-766)|USS ''Charlotte'' at the North Pole in 2005]]
In recent years, journeys to the North Pole by air (landing at a runway prepared on the ice) or by icebreaker have become relatively routine, and are even available to small groups of tourists through adventure holiday companies.
In 2005, the United States Navy submarine ''[[USS Charlotte (SSN-766)|USS Charlotte]]'' (SSN-766) surfaced through 61 inches (155 cm) of ice at the North Pole and spent 18 hours there.<ref>[http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21223 USS Charlotte Achieves Milestone During Under-Ice Transit], Navy NewsStand website, retrieved May 2007</ref>
In April 2007, Dutch [[performance art]]ist [[Guido van der Werve]] performed a work of art at the North Pole. By standing exactly on the Pole for 24 hours and turning slowly clockwise (the earth is turning counterclockwise), just by following his own shadow, Van der Werve literally did ''not'' turn with the world for one day. This performance is called: 'nummer negen [Dutch for Number Nine], the day I didn't turn with the world'. Van der Werve [[time-lapse]]d the 24 hours to 9 minutes. <ref>[http://www.roofvogel.org/test/nummernegen.html Website of the artist]</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:nummernegen.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Guido van der Werve at the North Pole 28th of April 2007]] -->
In July 2007, British endurance swimmer [[Lewis Gordon Pugh]] completed a 1 km swim at the North Pole. His feat, undertaken to highlight the effects of climate change, took place in clear water that had opened up between the ice floes.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6899612.stm Swimmer rises to Arctic challenge], BBC news, 15 July 2007</ref>
A 2007 episode of the [[BBC]] motoring show ''[[Top Gear (current format)| Top Gear]]'', in which the presenters were described as journeying to the "North Pole", was in fact an expedition to the 1996 position of the [[North Magnetic Pole|North ''Magnetic'' Pole]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/production_notes/polar_special.shtml BBC Top Gear Production Notes (Polar Special)]</ref>
====2007 descent to North Pole seabed====
{{main|Arktika 2007}}
On [[August 2]] [[2007]], a [[Russia]]n expedition made the first ever manned descent to the ocean bottom at the North Pole, to a depth of 4.3 km, as part of a research programme in support of Russia's [[Territorial claims in the Arctic#2001 Russian claim|2001 territorial claim]] to a large swathe of the [[Arctic Ocean]]. The descent took place in two [[MIR (submersible)|MIR submersible]]s and was led by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] and Russian polar explorer [[Arthur Chilingarov]]. In a symbolic act, the [[Russian flag]] was placed on the seabed at the exact position of the Pole.<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://www.aari.nw.ru/docs/press_release/20070709_fedorov.html Press release] of the [[AARI]], [[July 9]] [[2007]]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6927395.stm Russia plants flag under N Pole], BBC News, 2 August 2007</ref><ref>{{ru icon}} [http://news.ntv.ru/114406/video/ News video of Russian descent to North Pole seabed]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6920000/newsid_6927900/6927971.stm BBC News video of Russian descent to North Pole seabed]</ref>
The expedition is the latest in a decades-long series of moves by Russia intended to show that it is the dominant influence in the Arctic.<ref>[http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/russias-north-pole-obsession/ Russia’s North Pole Obsession], The New York Times, August 2, 2007</ref> The warming Arctic climate and summer retreat of sea ice there has suddenly turned the attention of countries from China to the United States toward the top of the world, where resources and shipping routes may soon be exploitable.<ref>[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/series/thebigmelt/ The Big Melt], The New York Times, October 2005</ref>
==Day and night==
:''See also [[Midnight sun]] and [[Polar night]]''
At the North Pole, the [[Sun]] is permanently above the horizon during the [[summer]] months and permanently below the horizon during the [[winter]] months. [[Sunrise]] is just before the [[vernal equinox]] (around March 19); the Sun then takes three months to reach its highest point of about 23½° elevation at the summer [[solstice]] (around June 21), after which time it begins to sink, reaching [[sunset]] just after the [[autumnal equinox]] (around September 24).
A [[civil twilight]] period of about two weeks occurs before sunrise and after sunset, and an [[astronomical twilight]] period of about seven weeks occurs before sunrise and after sunset.
These effects are caused by a combination of the [[Earth]]'s [[axial tilt]] and its revolution around the sun. The direction of the Earth's axial tilt, as well as its angle relative to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, remain very nearly constant over the course of a year (both change very slowly over long time periods). At northern midsummer the North Pole is facing towards the Sun to its maximum extent. As the year progresses and the Earth moves around the Sun, the North Pole gradually turns away from the Sun until at midwinter it is facing away from the Sun to its maximum extent. A similar sequence is observed at the [[South Pole]], with a six-month time difference.
==Time==
In most places on Earth, local time is roughly synchronized to the position of the sun in the sky. Thus, at midday the sun is roughly at its highest. This method fails at the North Pole where the sun is continuously in the sky for six months. There is no permanent human presence at the North Pole, and no particular time zone has been assigned. Polar expeditions may use any time zone that is convenient, such as [[GMT]], or the time zone of the country they departed from.
==Climate==
[[Image:2007 Arctic Sea Ice.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Arctic shrinkage]]
as of 2007 compared to 2005 and also compared to the 1979-2000 average.]]The North Pole is significantly warmer than the [[South Pole]] because it lies at sea level in the middle of an ocean (which acts as a reservoir of heat), rather than at altitude in a continental land mass.
Winter (January) temperatures at the North Pole can range from about −43 °C (−45 °F) to −26 °C (−15 °F), perhaps averaging around −34 °C (−30 °F). Summer temperatures (June, July and August) average around the freezing point (0 °C, 32 °F).<ref>[http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2005/20060310.htm "Science question of the week"], Goddard Space Center</ref>
The sea ice at the North Pole is typically around two or three meters thick<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1108_041108_north_pole.html Beyond "Polar Express": Fast Facts on the Real North Pole], National Geographic News</ref>, though there is considerable variation and occasionally the movement of floes exposes clear water.<ref name="Daly">[http://www.john-daly.com/polar/arctic.htm The Top of the World: Is the North Pole Turning to Water?], John L. Daly</ref> Studies have suggested that the average ice thickness has decreased in recent years due to [[global warming]], though this conclusion is disputed by some.<ref name="Daly"/> Reports have also predicted that within a few decades the Arctic Ocean will be entirely free of ice in the summer months.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6171053.stm Arctic sea ice 'faces rapid melt'], BBC news story, December 2006</ref> This may have significant commercial implications; see "Territorial Claims", below.
{{wikinews|The North Pole may possibly be ice free by summer}}
Mark Serreze, a scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, told Agence France-Presse in an interview on June 27, 2008, that by the end of the 2008 summer, there might, for the first time in human history, briefly be no ice at the North Pole. However, Serreze pointed out that ice would still be present in other parts of the Arctic Ocean.<ref>[http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20080628-145322/North-Pole-may-have-no-ice-this-summer----US-expert North Pole may have no ice this summer -- US expert], Agence France-Presse/Philippine Daily Inquirer</ref>
The North Pole is often credited as having snow but it is actually snowless.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
==Flora and fauna==
[[Polar bear]]s are believed to rarely travel beyond about 82° North due to the scarcity of food, though tracks have been seen in the vicinity of the North Pole, and a 2006 expedition reported sighting a polar bear just one mile (1.6 km) from the Pole.<ref>[http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/about_species/species_factsheets/polar_bear/pbear_population_distribution/index.cfm Polar Bear - Population & Distribution], WWF, January 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.projectthinice.org/blog/view/13723/ Explorers' Blog], Greenpeace Project Thin Ice, 1 Jul 2006</ref> The [[ringed seal]] has also been seen at the Pole, and [[Arctic fox]]es have been observed less than 60 km away at 89°40′ N.<ref>[http://www.suomenluonto.fi/artikkeli.php3?a=155 Ringed seal makes its home on the ice], Antti Halkka</ref><ref>[http://www.zoologi.su.se/research/alopex/the_arctic_fox.htm The Arctic Fox], Magnus Tannerfeldt</ref>
Birds seen at or very near the Pole include the [[Snow Bunting]], [[Northern Fulmar]] and [[Black-legged Kittiwake]], though some bird sightings may be distorted by the fact that birds tend to follow ships and expeditions.<ref name=calgary>[http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic56-3-309.pdf FARTHEST NORTH POLAR BEAR (Ursus maritimus)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Fish have been seen in the waters at the North Pole, but these are probably few in number.<ref name="calgary"/> A member of the Russian team that descended to the North Pole seabed in August 2007 reported seeing no sea creatures living there.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6927395.stm Russia plants flag under N Pole], BBC News, 2 August 2007</ref>
==Territorial claims to the North Pole and Arctic regions ==
{{Main|Territorial claims in the Arctic}}
<!-- NOTE: please add detail to the "Territorial claims in the Arctic" article, and keep this as a short summary -->
Under international law, no country currently owns the North Pole or the region of the [[Arctic Ocean]] surrounding it. The five surrounding Arctic states, [[Russia]], the [[United States]] (via [[Alaska]]), [[Canada]], [[Norway]] and [[Denmark]] (via [[Greenland]]), are limited to a 320 kilometre (200-mile) economic zone around their coasts, and the area beyond that is administered by the [[International Seabed Authority]].
Upon ratification of the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]], a country has a ten year period to make claims to extend its [[Exclusive Economic Zone|200 mile zone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/annex2.htm|title=United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Annex 2, Article 4)|accessdate=2007-07-26}}</ref> Norway (ratified the convention in 1996<ref name="ratif">http://www.un.org/Depts/los/reference_files/status2007.pdf</ref>), Russia (ratified in 1997<ref name="ratif"/>), Canada (ratified in 2003<ref name="ratif"/>) and Denmark (ratified in 2004<ref name="ratif"/>) have all launched projects to base claims that certain Arctic sectors should belong to their territories.<ref>[http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/comment_0807-3.pdf The Battle for the Next Energy Frontier: The Russian Polar Expedition and the Future of Arctic Hydrocarbons], by Shamil Midkhatovich Yenikeyeff and Timothy Fenton Krysiek, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, August 2007</ref>
==Cultural associations==
In some [[Western cultures]], the geographic North Pole is the residence of [[Santa Claus]]. [[Canada Post]] has assigned postal code [[H0H 0H0]] to the North Pole (referring to Santa's traditional exclamation of "Ho-ho-ho!").<ref>[http://www.canadapost.ca/business/corporate/about/newsroom/pr/archive-e.asp?prid=1197 "Canada Post Launches 24th Annual Santa Letter-writing Program"], Canada Post press release, November 15, 2006</ref>
This seemingly mundane fact actually reflects an age-old esoteric mythology of [[Hyperborea]] that posits the North Pole, the otherworldly world-axis, as the abode of God and superhuman beings (see [[Joscelyn Godwin]], ''Arktos: The Polar Myth''). The popular mythological figure of the pole-dwelling Santa Claus thus functions as an esoteric archetype of spiritual purity and transcendence ([http://livingheritage.org/pole-spirits.htm]). As [[Henry Corbin]] has documented, the North Pole plays a key part in the cultural worldview of esoteric Sufism and Iranian mysticism. "The Orient sought by the mystic, the Orient that cannot be located on our maps, is in the direction of the north, beyond the north" (Corbin, ''The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism'', trans. N. Pearson, 1978). The Pole is also identified with a mysterious mountain in the Arctic Ocean, called Mount Qaf, whose ascent, like Dante's climbing of the Mountain of Purgatory, represents the pilgrim's progress through spiritual states (ibid., p. 44). In Iranian theosophy, the heavenly Pole, the focal point of the spiritual ascent, acts as a magnet to draw beings to its "palaces ablaze with immaterial matter" (ibid., p. 11).
==See also==
*[[Hollow Earth]]
*[[South Pole]]
*[[Polaris]]
*[[List of firsts]]
*[[Inuit Circumpolar Council]]
*[[Arctic Council]]
*[[Circumpolar arctic]]
*[[Biome]]
*[[North Pole, Alaska]]
*[[Global warming]]
*[[Agartha]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://www.arctic-council.org Arctic Council]
* [http://www.northernforum.org The Northern Forum]
* {{wikitravel}}
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html North Pole Web Cam]
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_untersteiner3.html The short Arctic summer of 2004]
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_untersteiner2.html The puzzling Arctic summer of 2003]
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/faq.html FAQ on the Arctic and the North Pole]
* [http://www.monolith.com.au/travel/polar_contro.html Polar Controversies Still Rage] article by Roderick Eime
* [http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Number/200028 Magnetic Poles locations since 1600] Download the KMZ file. For Google Earth Users.
* [http://www.polarrace.com The Polar Race] a biennial race to the 1996 certified position of the Magnetic North Pole
* [http://www.polar-challenge.com/ The Polar Challenge] an annual race to the Magnetic North Pole
* [http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np_seasons.html Daylight, Darkness and Changing of the Seasons at the North Pole]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=846342022276396533&q=north+pole Video of scientists on sea ice at the North Pole as it begins to crack underfoot]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2499663,00.html Experts warn North Pole will be 'ice free' by 2040]
*Goudarzi, Sara, "''Meltdown: Ice Cracks at North Pole''". Sept 2006, [[LiveScience]], <[http://www.livescience.com/environment/060920_arcticice_opening.html Web Link]>, Accessed 29 January 2007.
* [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/globalwarming "The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World (first chapter)"]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1XMZTzELaE Video of the Nuclear Icebreaker Yamal visiting the North Pole in 2001]
* [http://polardiscovery.whoi.edu/expedition1/index.html Polar Discovery: North Pole Observatory Expedition]
[[Category:Arctic]]
[[Category:Extreme points of Earth]]
[[Category:Geography of Canada]]
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[[Category:Poles]]
[[Category:Arctic Ocean]]
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[[is:Norðurpóllinn]]
[[it:Polo Nord]]
[[he:הקוטב הצפוני]]
[[kn:ಉತ್ತರ ಧ್ರುವ]]
[[sw:Ncha ya kaskazini]]
[[ku:Cemsera Bakur]]
[[la:Polus septentrionalis]]
[[lv:Ziemeļpols]]
[[lt:Šiaurės ašigalis]]
[[hu:Északi-sark]]
[[ml:ഉത്തരധ്രുവം]]
[[mn:Хойд туйл]]
[[nl:Noordpool]]
[[ja:北極点]]
[[no:Nordpolen]]
[[nn:Nordpolen]]
[[pl:Biegun północny]]
[[pt:Pólo Norte]]
[[ro:Polul Nord]]
[[qu:Chinchay qhipa]]
[[ru:Северный полюс]]
[[simple:North Pole]]
[[sd:اتر قطب]]
[[sl:Severni tečaj]]
[[sr:Сјеверни пол]]
[[sh:Sjeverni pol]]
[[fi:Pohjoisnapa]]
[[sv:Nordpolen]]
[[th:ขั้วโลกเหนือ]]
[[vi:Bắc Cực]]
[[tr:Kuzey Kutbu]]
[[uk:Північний полюс]]
[[ur:قطب شمالی]]
[[wo:Dottub Bëj-gànnaar]]
[[zh-yue:北極]]
[[zh:北极]]