ABSTRACT
Swedish Lapland and the Norwegian islands of Svalbard Approximately one-third of Scandinavia lies within the Arctic Circle, while the Norwegian islands known as Svalbard lie only 1000 kilometres from the North Pole. However, climatic conditions are not as severe as they are in similar latitudes in Greenland, Northern Canada, Alaska and Siberia. The high northerly latitude is compensated to some extent by the warming influence of the North Atlantic Drift, which keeps the seas around the North Cape ice-free all year round, allowing the majority of visitors to Svalbard to arrive by ship rather than by air. In Swedish Lapland summer temperatures compare favourably with those of Scotland, much further south.
