The Bolshaya Ercha ( Russian : Большая Эрча ) is a river in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia . It is a tributary of the Indigirka . The river has a length of 252 kilometres (157 mi) and a drainage basin area of 4,290 square kilometres (1,660 sq mi).
17-740: The river flows north of the Arctic Circle , across desolate territories of the Allaikhovsky District . The Bolshaya Ercha is a right tributary of the Indigirka. It has its sources in the northern slopes of the Ulakhan-Sis range. The river flows first northwestwards in its uppermost section, and then in a roughly western / WSW direction skirting the Kondakov Plateau which rises to the north. In its last stretch
34-627: A margin of more than 2° over a 41,000-year period, owing to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon . Consequently, the Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 14.5 m (48 ft) per year. The word arctic comes from the Greek word ἀρκτικός ( arktikos : "near the Bear , northern") and that from the word ἄρκτος ( arktos : " bear "). The Arctic Circle
51-470: A river in the Russian Far East is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Sakha Republic location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles , and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern equivalent
68-719: Is the Antarctic Circle . The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at which, on the winter solstice (which is the shortest day of the year) in the Northern Hemisphere , the Sun will not rise all day, and on the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice (which is the longest day of the year), the Sun will not set. These phenomena are referred to as polar night and midnight sun respectively, and
85-549: Is the largest settlement in the immediate vicinity of the Arctic Circle, lying 6 km (4 mi) south of the line. Salekhard (51,186) in Russia is the only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle. In contrast, the largest North American community north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut ( Greenland ), has approximately 5,600 inhabitants. In the United States, Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow)
102-639: Is the largest settlement north of the Arctic Circle with about 5,000 inhabitants. The largest such community in Canada is Inuvik in the Northwest Territories , with 3,137 inhabitants. Download coordinates as: The Arctic Circle is roughly 16,000 km (9,900 mi) in circumference. The area north of the Circle is about 20,000,000 km (7,700,000 sq mi) and covers roughly 4% of Earth's surface. The Arctic Circle passes through
119-448: Is the southernmost latitude in the Northern Hemisphere at which the centre of the Sun can remain continuously above or below the horizon for twenty-four hours; as a result, at least once each year at any location within the Arctic Circle the centre of the Sun is visible at local midnight , and at least once the centre is not visible at local noon . Directly on the Arctic Circle these events occur, in principle, exactly once per year: at
136-545: The Arctic Ocean , the Scandinavian Peninsula , North Asia , Northern America , and Greenland. The land within the Arctic Circle is divided among eight countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States ( Alaska ), Canada ( Yukon , Northwest Territories , and Nunavut ), Denmark (Greenland), and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey ). The climate north of
153-473: The June and December solstices , respectively. However, because of atmospheric refraction and mirages , and also because the sun appears as a disk and not a point, part of the midnight sun is visible, on the night of the northern summer solstice , at a latitude of about 50 minutes of arc (′) (90 km (56 mi)) south of the Arctic Circle. Similarly, on the day of the northern winter solstice , part of
170-526: The Arctic Circle is generally cold, but the coastal areas of Norway have a generally mild climate as a result of the Gulf Stream , which makes the ports of northern Norway and northwest Russia ice-free all year long. In the interior, summers can be quite warm, while winters are extremely cold. For example, summer temperatures in Norilsk , Russia will sometimes reach as high as 30 °C (86 °F), while
187-675: The Sun may be seen up to about 50′ north of the Arctic Circle. That is true at sea level ; those limits increase with elevation above sea level , although in mountainous regions there is often no direct view of the true horizon. The largest communities north of the Arctic Circle are situated in Russia, Norway, and Sweden: Murmansk (population 295,374) and Norilsk (178,018) in Russia; Tromsø (75,638) in Norway, Vorkuta (58,133) in Russia, Bodø (52,357) and Harstad (24,703) in Norway; and Kiruna , Sweden (22,841). Rovaniemi (62,667) in Finland
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#1732794492421204-589: The further north one progresses, the more pronounced these effects become. For example, in the Russian port city of Murmansk , three degrees above the Arctic Circle, the Sun does not rise above the horizon for 40 successive days in midwinter. The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed and currently runs 66°33′50.2″ north of the Equator . Its latitude depends on the Earth's axial tilt , which fluctuates within
221-556: The length of the day on 20 June 2016, close to the summer solstice of the Northern Hemisphere and winter solstice of the Southern Hemisphere . The data was collected from the website of the Finnish Meteorological Institute as well as from certain other websites. The data is arranged geographically and within the tables from the longest day to the shortest one. Times that occur
238-585: The longest period of daylight), while in the Southern Hemisphere it is the winter solstice (the day with the shortest period of daylight). It is also known as the northern solstice . During June solstice, the Sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, located in the northern hemisphere. The June solstice solar year is the solar year based on the June solstice. It is thus the length of time between adjacent June solstices. The following tables contain information on
255-415: The right, as well as the 40 km (25 mi) long Kusagan-Yurekh (Кусаган-Юрэх), the 36 km (22 mi) long At-Khaya (Ат-Хайа), the 42 km (26 mi) long Kistike (Кистикэ) and the 36 km (22 mi) long Erkichan (Эркичан) on the left. The river is frozen between the beginning of October and the beginning of June. There are more than 600 lakes in its basin. This article related to
272-533: The river descends into the Indigirka floodplain among numerous lakes where it meanders strongly, forming oxbow lakes . Finally the Bolshaya Ercha joins the Indigirka 354 km (220 mi) from its mouth. Now uninhabited Vorontsovo village lies near the confluence, on the facing bank of the Indigirka. The main tributary of the Bolshaya Ercha is the 101 km (63 mi) long Malaya Ercha on
289-465: The winter temperatures frequently fall below −50 °C (−58 °F). Starting at the prime meridian and heading eastwards, the Arctic Circle passes through: June solstice The June solstice is the solstice on Earth that occurs annually between 20 and 22 June according to the Gregorian calendar . In the Northern Hemisphere , the June solstice is the summer solstice (the day with
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