People have inhabited the Arctic for thousands of years and today more than 2 million individuals live north of the Arctic Circle. The native groups found across the Arctic include the Inuit (Canada), Inupiat (Alaska), Yupik (Russia and Alaska), Chukchi (Russia), Kalaallit (Greenland), Sami (Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).
However, there are currently no permanent residents living in Antarctica – instead, research stations where many workers reside for long periods of time rotate staff, so none are considered permanent residents. If you combined all the workers at all the stations across all of Antarctica, then this would still only reach approximately 4,000 people in summer and 1,000 in winter.
During your Scenic Eclipse voyage through the polar regions, the on board specialist Discovery Team Leaders will enlighten you with unique insights and personal highlights on everything about the environment, history and culture of each region you visit. From learning about the ancient Viking Artic outposts and their historic significance, to tracing the steps of Ernest Shackleton’s epic journey of Antarctic exploration, you will be presented with anecdotes both onshore and on board in the high-tech Scenic Eclipse theatre – to deepen your understanding of the destination.