Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. It includes most of the land we live on, such as the continents of North America and Eurasia, as well as parts of Africa and a small bit of South America.

Because of Earth's axial tilt, the Northern Hemisphere has changing seasons. Winter usually runs from around December 21 to March 20, while summer runs from around June 21 to September 23. These dates shift a little each year.

The Northern Hemisphere has less ocean and more land than the Southern Hemisphere. The way wind and water move around the world affects the weather and climate here. For example, trade winds and ocean currents create patterns that shape the climate we experience.

For other planets in the Solar System, "north" is defined in relation to a plane called the invariable plane. This helps scientists study and compare different worlds in space.

Geography and climate

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that lies north of the equator.

The Arctic, near the North Pole, has very cold winters and cool summers, with snow as the main form of precipitation. Inside the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for some days in summer and does not rise for some days in winter. Between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer lies the Northern temperate zone, where temperature changes between summer and winter are usually mild. Tropical areas, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, stay hot year-round and have rainy summers and dry winters.

In the Northern Hemisphere, moving objects, such as air and water, tend to turn to the right due to the Coriolis effect. This creates clockwise-moving patterns in oceans, like those in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It also affects weather patterns. The sun’s position changes throughout the year. From the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon looks upside down compared to how it looks from the Southern Hemisphere.

Demographics

The Northern Hemisphere is where most of the world's people live. In 2015, about 6.4 billion people lived there. This was about 87% of all the people on Earth. The total number of people living on Earth at that time was 7.3 billion.

List of continents, countries or territories, and oceans in the Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the part of Earth north of the equator. It includes parts of Asia, Europe, and most of North America. Countries such as China, Russia, and the United States are in this area. The Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean also have parts in the Northern Hemisphere. The seasons in this half of Earth change because our planet tilts on its axis.