These Islands Are Above The Arctic Circle, But They're Warm And Gorgeous All Year Long

The islands of Lofoten in Norway are known for two things: Their stunning beauty, and their relatively warm temperatures. Lofoten is above the Arctic Circle, yet its average temperature is above freezing all year.

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Lofoten is a grouping of islands in northwest Norway. It's known for its stunning cliffs, calm inlets and idyllic seaside fishing towns.

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Because Lofoten is above the Arctic Circle, in summer the nights are really long, and in winter they're really short. In fact, the sun never sets between May 25th to July 17th, and it never rises between December 4th and January 7th.

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Despite these extremes in daylight, Lofoten has a very temperate climate. That's thanks to the gulf stream, which pushes warm air across the Atlantic and up the coast of Norway. Lofoten has the greatest positive temperature difference in the world, relative to latitude. Lofoten is high above the Arctic Circle, yet the average temperature never gets below freezing.

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Thanks to its northern location, Lofoten gets a spectacular showing of the Northern Lights.

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