|
The Polar regions include roughly the Scandinavian Peninsula and Finland
in the South and East, and Iceland, Greenland and Spitsbergen (Sval-Bard)
archipelago in the West and North. The northern Siberia in Russia and Alaska
in N.America are on the other side of the Pole. The Circum-polar region
starts from 67 degrees latitude and ends at the North Cape at 71 degrees
latitude and is about 500 miles in breadth. The distance from there to the
Poles is roughly cacculated by scientists as 200 miles.
Within the Arctic Circle are a number of islands, most of them
sheltering the Norwegian Coast from the Atlantic swell and having same
geographical features as Norway. With huge forests and mountains which rise
at different places up to 5,000 feet, bleak and barren rocks with eternal
snow on them and a number of fjords like a network of channels from the
ocean forming into lakes here and there, Norway presents a most enchanting
view of Nature in all its wild beauty and sublimity. The long summer days
and Bright Nights in the Land of the Midnight Sun give the country a warmth
and mildness of climate that one hardly expects in the frozen North. The
land is fertile and there is an abundance of vegetation during the
prolonged summer months and one-third of Norway’s population lives by
agriculture. Continuous sunshine day and night for several days expedites
the growth of plants and makes it possible to grow corn such as barley
often twice in the Season. Even tobacco is grown in certain parts. The
Norwegian mountains have mines and coal fileds indicating a tropical
climate which prevailed there in pre-Glacial Period.
The temperature in Norway in Summer never goes above 15 degrees nor does
it sink more than 15 degrees below zeo in Winter, owing to the peculiar
Polar heat which causes the Gulf Stream to run from the North cape for a
thousand miles down South. While all around the sea is frozen, the Gulf
Stream allows steamers to ply throughout Winter and has made Norway one of
the most important fishing centres of the World. In Winter the Cod fish
from the Atlantic move along with the Gulf Stream to lay their eggs and
that has given the people a means of livelihood. Hundreds of boats small
and big are engaged in catching the Cod fish to extract its liver oil and
all along the coast, powerfully lit with electric lights, are Canneries and
other factories belonging to various nationalities of the World. Norway
prouces about 60% of the World’s supply of Whale and Cod liver oil.
Apart from merchants and money-lenders who flock there from all parts of
the world many tourists come for Winter sports. Ideal conditions prevail
for ski-ing in Winter. Winter is the festival season for the Norwegians.
The most healthy climate makes them very active and lively and hotels are
quite busy catering to their sporting-sense. A number of University
research students and scholars spend months there to observe the
sun-effects in the various seasons and the Government have installed
observatories in important places all along the coast to observe the Sun in
Summer and movements of the Moon and Stars in Winter. The Midnight Sun is
visible completely at the North
Cape, the most northerly point in Europe from May 14th to
July 30th.
The upper limb of the Sun appears at the North Cape (71.2 degrees) on
May 12th at 23-15 hrs, and the whole disc is visible in the due
West from May 14th moving slowly in the horizon northwards and
making a round like a potter’s wheel in 24 hours time. It continues thus
till July 29th and then sinks a little in the horizon, showing
again only the upper limb till 23-23 hts, on August 1st. The Sun
appears in Circum-polar regions for continuous periods from 34 to 75 days
according to the difference in latitude. At Spitzbergen, 73 degrees the Sun
is seen from April 20th to August 24th i.e., about
125 days continuously. As the Sun does not rise to the middle of the sky
but only makes a round in the horizon his colour is golden and hence the
Vedas refer to him as "Hiranmaya".
In Winter there is Aurora Borealis for some hours and the Moon
throughout except on New Moon days. The Moon and Starts illumine the sky
and make the nights bright. The Norwegians calculate time from the Sun in
Summer and the position of the starts and Moon in Winter. From the Midnight
Sun originates the system of counting the day from midnight to midnight, a
practice started by our Vedic forefathers and carried on till to-day. The
year is made up in the Arctic regions of a few months of 24 hours’ Sun
followed by twilights for some days and bright nights and some dark nights;
then 24 hours’ continuous nights and next in reverse order, some days of
dawn only then day and night and again 24 hours’ Sun. At the North Pole the
day prolongs for six months continuously followed by six months’ darkness
and thus the year has only one long day and one long night. That is the
phenomenon we now observe in meru.
|
