Jonathan ` Roskos, age 8, of Dufresne, Manitoba, Canada, for his question:
WHERE IS THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN?
Northern Norway is called the Land of the Midnight Sun. In this part of the Scandinavian country there is continuous daylight from May through July.
The midnight sun shines at certain times of the year in the polar regions. At the Arctic Circle, this happens about June 21. Farther north, the periods of midnight sun last longer.
At the North Pole, the sun does not set for six months, from about March 20 to about September 23. At the Antarctic Circle, 24 hours of sunlight happens about December 21, and at the South Pole the sun does not set from about September 23 until March 20.
The midnight sun is caused by the tilting of the earth toward the sun. As the earth travels around the sun, first the South Pole and then the North Pole faces the sun. While one polar region faces the sun, it has continous daylight. At the same time, the other polar region faces away from the sun and has continuous darkness.
The northern third of Norway lies above the Arctic Circle and this is the part of the world called The Land of the Midnight Sun. Part of the area is covered with permanent ice and snow. Included in this area is the 190 square mile Svartisen Glacier.
Strange as it may seem, the climate of the land of the Midnight Sun is much milder than that of most other regions as far north, especially along the country's west coast. Near the Lofoten Island, for example, January temperatures average 45 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the world average for this latitude which is north of the Arctic Circle.
Snow that falls in this part of Norway along the coast melts almost immediately. The warm North Atlantic Current of the Gulf Stream keeps nearly all of the seaports ice free, even those up in the Arctic.
Norway's northern inland regions are cooler because mountains block the warm west winds that come from the sea.
Norway's waters are its greatest natural resource. Many mountain rivers are used to produce hydroelectric power. The seas off the northern and western coasts are rich in cod and herring. The seas also have helped Norway carry on an extensive foreign trade and develop an outstanding shipping industry.
In the land of the Midnight Sun's North Sea, production of petroleum began in oil fields in the early 1970s. And coal is mined in Svalbard, an island territory north of Norway.
In the far northern region of Norway you'll find about 10,000 persons of Finnish ancestry. Also living there are about 20,000 Laps.