The population of the Arctic, subarctic, and Boreal regions

Abstract

Approximate numbers are given for the population in the northern circumpolar biotic regions, which cover 19 million km² , i.e., twice the size of Europe. This vast northern area, often neglected in recent discussions on the capacity and resources of the globe, is inhabited by only 13 or 14 million people. Because the Boreal Region proper in Europe lies north of the densely populated areas of southern Scandinavia and southern Finland, the population north of 60°N is slightly larger, about 15.3 million. Of this total, about one‐third lives in Finalnd. The strong urbanization tendency in the north is also discussed. The recent concentration of human activity in southern Canada, southern Finland, etc., has caused other regions in the north to stagnate, for instance the development area of Scandinavia. (This essay represents an edited version of a lecture given before the Finnish Academy of Sciences on April 29, 1972. The essay is dedicated to Prof. Veikko Okko on the occasion of his 60th birthday, to commemorate his interest in Arctic studies.) (The translation is by Vincent H. Malmstrom, Dartmouth College.)