Polar - GCSE Geography Definition

The term 'Polar' refers to the regions of Earth that surround the North and South Poles, known as the Arctic and Antarctic. These areas are extremely cold and are covered with ice and snow for most of the year. Because of the harsh climate, they have special types of plants and animals that are suited to the freezing conditions, like lichen vegetation and polar bears in the Arctic and penguins in the Antarctic. Polar regions are often used for tourism and science, and are under threat from raw material extraction in the future. Polar regions are important for studying climate change, as their ice caps can reflect changes in the world's temperatures. Studying these regions helps geographers understand Earth's climate system and its impact on living things.