Meaning & use
Arctic Circle
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The imaginary line around the Earth at about 66.5 degrees north, marking the edge of the far north polar region.
Grammar: Used with the: north of the Arctic Circle.
Patterns
- north of the Arctic Circle
- cross the Arctic Circle
- inside the Arctic Circle
Tromsø lies well north of the Arctic Circle, so it is dark for weeks in winter.
We crossed the Arctic Circle by train and got a certificate.
The Arctic Circle passes through parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
proper nounproper
The region lying north of this line, known for extreme cold and for days or nights lasting twenty-four hours.
Grammar: Used for the whole area, often with in or within: life in the Arctic Circle.
Patterns
- in the Arctic Circle
- life within the Arctic Circle
Reindeer herders live in the Arctic Circle and move with the seasons.
Within the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set at midsummer.
Scientists study climate change in the Arctic Circle.
Common combinations
- above the Arctic Circle
- Very few trees grow above the Arctic Circle.
- cross the Arctic Circle
- We crossed the Arctic Circle at midnight in summer.
- north of the Arctic Circle
- The village is north of the Arctic Circle.
- inside the Arctic Circle
- Polar nights occur inside the Arctic Circle.
- within the Arctic Circle
- Few people live within the Arctic Circle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the Arctic
- The Arctic is the whole polar region and its surrounding seas, while the Arctic Circle is a particular line and the area it encloses.
- the far north
- The far north is a vague, everyday phrase, while the Arctic Circle is a precise geographic term.
- polar region
- Polar region covers both the north and south, while the Arctic Circle is only the northern one.
Opposites
Word family
- Arctic adjective
- relating to the far north region
- Antarctic Circle proper noun
- the matching line near the South Pole
- circumpolar adjective
- around a pole
- arctic adjective
- extremely cold, used in a general way
Commonly confused: Arctic Circle or Antarctic Circle? Arctic Circle or arctic circle?
Arctic Circle vs Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is the matching line near the South Pole, not the northern one.
Arctic Circle vs arctic circle
The common misspelling arctic curcle swaps letters. Spell it Arctic Circle with capitals.
Practice
In midsummer, people living north of the ____ can see the sun at midnight.
Choose one answer.
The midnight sun is seen north of the Arctic Circle. The Antarctic Circle is tempting, but it is in the south, and the Equator and Tropic of Cancer are not polar lines.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Arctic Circle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.