Tundra
By: Mackenzie Seace
The Tundra
Tundra comes from the Finnish word "tunturia" meaning barren land. The tundra is located at latitudes 55 degrees to 70 degrees. Almost all the tundras are located in the Northern hemisphere. The tundra is a cold place holding little to no vegetation. If you do see vegetation it is small plants and no trees like arctic moss, arctic willow, bearberry, and caribou moss. The summer is brief there and only lasts 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets any warmer than 45 to 50 degrees. The winter however is most months out of the year. The temperatures range from -30, -20 degrees to 20 degrees and it is bitter cold. The tundra is a usually cold and dry climate with only 6-10 inches of rain a year. Some animals in the tundra include arctic fox, caribou, ermine, grizzly bear, harlequin duck, musk ox, polar bear, and snowy owl. And that is about all the tundra is, a cold, barren, and bitter place making room for only the toughest plants and animals that can survive there.