NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The North Pole is a point in the Arctic region of the world. There is really more than one kind of north pole.

The north geographic pole is near the center of the Arctic Ocean. Usually people think of it as the northernmost point on the Earth. The lines of longitude meet there. Lines of longitude are drawn from north to south on maps and globes.

Image to left: The North Pole is the northern end of the Earth's axis. The lines of longitude meet there. Credit: World Book illustration

Another north pole is the north magnetic pole. It is the magnetic point on the Earth that compass needles point to. This pole moves because the Earth's magnetism changes. Right now, it is close to an island off northern Canada.

How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: "North Pole." The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2005.

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