Where Is the Tundra?

The tundra isn't really a particular place on earth. It is a type of climatic region, just as a desert is. In fact, tundras are sort of "cold deserts" — vast, flat tracts of land near the Arctic region, the northernmost parts of Siberia, Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada.

A tundra is a cold, barren place, where the winters are long and the summers never get very hot. No trees live there, only small mosses, lichens, and grasses, along with animals such as the musk ox, polar bear, lemming, and some birds.

The soil of the tundra forms a shallow layer over the permafrost, an underground layer of earth that is frozen all year around. In winter, even the top layer of soil in the tundra freezes.