Facts about the Barents Euro-Arctic Region

Around five and half million people live in this area, which is three times as large as France. This Euro-Arctic region is characterised by its harsh climate and long distances. But no other part of Europe and indeed few places on earth, are equally rich in forests, fish, minerals, oil and gas. Besides such natural resources the Barents Euro-Arctic Region has a skilled labour force and constitutes a meeting point between the European Union, the Russian Federation and Norway. Arctic and sub-arctic indigenous peoples (Sami, Nenets and Vepsians) live in the Barents Region, in many ways leading the kind of lives that they have traditionally led.

The majority of the Barents Region belongs to the temperate conifer zone whereas the Scandinavian mountain chain, the northern parts of the Kola Peninsula, the Nenets Area and Novaja Zemlja are part of the Arctic tundra. The location mainly north of the Arctic Circle gives a period of exotic midnight sun and also long and dark polar nights.

Find out more about:
1. Territory and Population
2. Key Events in the History of the Region
3. Natural Resources
4. Infrastructure, Industry and Tourism
5. Maps from the Barents region