Incredible facts about the North Pole you (probably) didn’t know – including why ‘time of day’ has no meaning there

The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth, hence the name.

But there is much more to this distant floating mass of ice than meets the eye.

Here, MailOnline Travel has collected 12 amazing facts about this fascinating wilderness at the top of the world.

Read on for a trip to a really cool place…

1. It has no time zone

The North Pole does not have an assigned time zone. There is no permanent human presence at the North Pole and the sun rises only once a year (in March) and sets (in September), so ‘time of day’ has no meaning.

Arctic scientists and researchers typically stay in the time zone of the country to which their station belongs.

2. The North Pole has no land

The North Pole has no land and is made up entirely of constantly shifting ice floating on the Arctic Ocean. And according to the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information ServiceOver the past four decades, scientists have seen a decrease in the thickness of Arctic sea ice during both the summer and winter months.

3. It’s not the coldest place on earth

Despite being the northernmost point on Earth, the South Pole remains significantly colder than the North Pole. The annual average temperature at the North Pole is -40°C in winter, compared to the South Pole, which is estimated to hover around -60°C. AE Expeditions.

There are several reasons for Antarctica’s frigidity, including that there are very cold winds that act as barriers to warm air and that there is snow and ice on the top of huge mountains.

In some places the ice is up to five kilometers thick.

The Arctic, on the other hand, has areas of water that help warm the air.

4. You can visit the North Pole

Although inaccessible most of the year, it is possible to visit the North Pole. Travel companies offer cruise packages to the Arctic from June and July, when the weather is warmest.

Dive Arctic explains that traveling by icebreaker ship from Murmansk, a Russian port, is the preferred route for most visitors. The tour company offers a handful of icy trips each year during the summer months. However, passengers can expect to pay £27,000 ($34,000) or more.

5. It’s hard to do research

Because the Arctic consists of continuously floating ice, it is difficult for scientists and explorers to study it National Geographic Association notes. There is no fixed location where equipment can be set up.

The most consistent research in the Arctic, the website says, comes from manned floating research stations.

6. There is life at the North Pole

While the Arctic’s floating ice makes it difficult for animals to survive, arctic foxes and polar bears live on the ice.

although National Geographic notes that the undersea ecosystem is much more varied. According to the website, several species of fish live in the Arctic, including Arctic cod, which is plentiful.

Other creatures spotted at the Arctic include whales and ringed seals, as well as a variety of migratory birds, including the snow bunting and the Arctic tern.

7. Every year there is a North Pole marathon

Runners may get cold feet when taking part in this race – the ‘world’s coolest marathon’. Participants experience “extreme subzero temperatures to travel 42.195 km (26.2 miles) in one of the most remote parts of the planet,” the event said. website say.

Competitors can pay an impressive entry fee of €46,500 (£39,772/$50,248) to pilot the Arctic ice floes at next year’s race. But it does include travel, your medal – and an open bar!

8. It’s not Santa’s home

Although Santa’s magical workshop is commonly said to be located at the North Pole, it is actually in Finland. Just don’t tell the little ones.

In the snowy town you can visit the ‘official birthplace of Santa Claus’ every day of the year Rovaniemi.

9. Two explorers claim to be the first to reach the North Pole

The discovery of the North Pole is steeped in controversy, as two explorers claim to have found it first.

Arctic explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary both returned from North Pole expeditions in 1909 – and both separately claimed to have been the first to reach the world’s northernmost point.

Cook claimed to have discovered the North Pole in 1908, a year earlier than Peary claimed to have visited. Time.com notes that Peary publicly accused Cook of lying, leading to a scandal unprecedented in the history of explorers.

Who reached the North Pole first is still hotly debated to this day, but according to a National Archives blog post, the first verified creation of the North Pole was created in 1926 by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen – who was also the first person to reach the South Pole. He flew over it in an airship.

10. The North Pole is not owned by any country

Under international law, the Arctic and the surrounding Arctic Ocean are not the property of any country. This is because the North Pole is not a country, and therefore not a country or area in itself.

(Although the Russians tried to stake a claim in 2007 when they used submarines to plant a Russian titanium flag on the seabed 4,000 meters below the North Pole.)

Instead, neighboring countries are given claims to resources located 200 nautical miles from their coasts under a treaty called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

11. The nearest town is Longyearbyen

Longyearbyen is the closest town to the North Pole, 1,316 km away, located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

The 2,400 residents who live in the small settlement are used to extremes. According to his website the climate is ‘harsh’ and ‘unpredictable’ – and the residents live in complete darkness for most of the year.

It has just one supermarket and a university with 300 students, all of whom undergo mandatory firearms training to protect themselves from wandering polar bears in the area.

12. At the North Pole, every direction is south

If you stand at the North Pole, you are at the northernmost point on Earth. It doesn’t matter which way you look: every direction is south.