A Different Kind of Desert.(arctic regions)(Brief Article)

With cutting winds, endless ice, and temperatures down to 30 degrees below 30, the Arctic is nothing like the Middle Eastern desert. But because the Arctic receives less than 10 inches of precipitation a year, geographers consider the Arctic a desert too.

This desert is much different from the drifting sands of Australia or the Kalahari. The people who have managed to survive in the Arctic don't live as other desert dwellers do. Some of the people who live in the Arctic are the Inuit, Inupiaq, Aleuts, and Yuit. As a group, these people are called Eskimos.

Traditions vs. New Ways

About 120,000 Eskimos live in the Arctic. Most, like those shown in the large photo at right, have adopted modern lifestyles: They live in small towns, use modern technology, and take part in political affairs. But some of the old ways, shown in the smaller photo, still survive in the modern world. These traditional habits show how early Eskimos adapted to the climate of their native land.

The Eskimos who still follow the traditional way of life use the few resources the land provides. The Arctic has few trees, so Eskimos build their homes out of ice or make sealskin tents. Most of these Eskimos build their ice houses, called igloos, while they are traveling. Believe it or not, the temperature inside an igloo can reach 60 degrees! The snow bricks block out the wind and hold in the Eskimos' body heat.

Traditionally, Eskimos hunted or fished, and even today hunting and ...