It has a land area of 670,000 square kilometres (260,000 sq mi), of which 63% is in Russia, 22% in Norway and 15% in Iceland.

[1] The region has a wide variety of landscapes, and includes some of the last remaining large wilderness areas in Europe.

Most species are dormant in winter, but large number of plants and animals are active in the warmer months.

There are many species of migrating birds and fish, common to all the polar regions.

Global warming will force species to move northward or to higher elevations, and may cause some extinctions.