The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth, hence its name.
But there’s more to this distant mass of floating ice than meets the eye.
Here, MailOnline Travel has rounded up 12 amazing facts about this fascinating wilderness at the top of the world.
Keep reading for a trip to a very cool place…
1. It has no time zone
The North Pole has no time zone or land – it’s just constantly moving ice floating above the Arctic Ocean.
The North Pole does not have an assigned time zone. There is no permanent human presence at the North Pole and the sun rises (in March) and sets only once a year (in September), so “time of day” has no meaning.
Arctic scientists and researchers tend to 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 moving ice floating above the Arctic Ocean. And, according to the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information ServiceOver the past four decades, scientists have noted a decrease in the thickness of Arctic sea ice during the summer and winter months.
3. It’s not the coldest place on Earth
Although it is the northernmost point on the planet, the South Pole remains significantly colder than the North Pole. The average annual temperature at the North Pole is -40°C in winter, compared to the South Pole, which hovers around -60°C, according to AE Expeditions.
There are several reasons for Antarctica’s cold, including the fact that there are very cold winds that act as barriers to warm air and that there is snow and ice at the summit immense mountains.
In some places the ice is up to three miles thick.
The Arctic, on the other hand, has areas of water that help warm the air.
4. You can visit the North Pole
You can pay to visit the North Pole, but be careful, the trip is not only cold, but expensive. In the photo, an icebreaker is heading towards the North Pole.
Although inaccessible most of the year, it is possible to visit the North Pole. Travel agencies offer Arctic cruise packages starting in June and July, when the weather is warmest.
Arctic Swoop explains that traveling by icebreaker boat from Murmansk, a Russian port, is the preferred route for most visitors. The travel company offers a handful of frozen trips per year, during the summer months. However, passengers can expect to pay £27,000 ($34,000) or more.
5. It’s hard to research
Because the North Pole is made up of constantly drifting ice, it is difficult for scientists and explorers to study it. National Geographic Society Remarks. There is no permanent site on which to install the equipment.
According to the website, the most consistent research on the North Pole comes from drifting manned research stations.
6. There is life at the North Pole
The North Pole has a thriving underwater ecosystem – and polar bears (above) at the top
While drifting ice from the North Pole makes it difficult for animals to survive, arctic foxes, polar bears and penguins live on the ice.
However National geographic notes that the underwater ecosystem is much more varied. The website states that several species of fish live in the North Pole, including Arctic cod, which is abundant.
Other creatures seen at the North Pole include whales and ringed seals, as well as a variety of migratory birds, including snow buntings and arctic terns.
7. There is a North Pole marathon every year
Runners might get cold feet taking part in this race – the “world’s coolest marathon”. Competitors endure “extremely subzero temperatures to complete 42.195 km (26.2 miles) in one of the most remote regions on the planet,” according to the event. website said.
Participants can expect to pay an exorbitant entry fee of €46,500 (£39,772/$50,248) to race on the Arctic sea ice in next year’s race. But that includes the trip, your medal – and an open bar!
8. This is not Santa’s house
Rovaniemi (pictured) is actually the “official hometown of Santa Claus”, not the North Pole.
Although Santa’s Magical Workshop is commonly said to be in the North Pole, it is actually in Finland. Don’t tell the little ones.
You can visit the “official hometown of Santa Claus” any day of the year in the snowy town of Rovaniemi.
9. Two explorers claim to have been the first to reach the North Pole
The discovery of the North Pole is fraught with controversy, as two explorers claim to have discovered it first.
Arctic explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary both returned from expeditions to the North Pole in 1909 – and both separately claimed that they were the first to reach the world’s northernmost point.
Cook claimed to have discovered the North Pole in 1908, a year before Peary claimed to have visited it. Time.com notes that Peary publicly accused Cook of lying, triggering a scandal unprecedented in the history of explorers.
Who reached the North Pole first is still the subject of much debate to this day, but according to one National Archives blog article, the first verified achievement of The North Pole was discovered 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 does not belong to any country
Under international law, the North Pole and the nearby Arctic Ocean do not belong to any country – indeed, the North Pole is not land and is therefore not a country or territory in its own right.
(Although the Russians attempted to stake some sort of claim in 2007 when they planted a titanium Russian flag on the seabed 4,000m below the North Pole using submersibles.)
Instead, its bordering countries gain claims to resources 200 nautical miles from their shores 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: only 2,400 people live in this small village and the climate is “unpredictable”.
Longyearbyen is the closest town to the North Pole, 1,316 km (817 miles) away, located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
The 2,400 inhabitants of this small village are used to extremes. According to his website the climate is “harsh” and “unpredictable” – and residents live in total darkness for most of the year.
It has just one grocery store and a university of 300 students, all of whom undergo mandatory firearms training to protect themselves from polar bears roaming the area.
12. At the North Pole, all directions are south
If you are at the North Pole, you are at the northernmost point on Earth. It doesn’t matter which direction you look: all directions are south.