Northern Hemisphere
Earth's upper half
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth above the equator.
It contains North America, Europe, most of Asia, and parts of Africa and South America.
The term appears in geographic, scientific, and educational contexts where the formal capitalized form is standard: The Northern Hemisphere experiences summer when tilted toward the sun. (Lowercase northern hemisphere is also common.)
Of extreme latitudes
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
- icecapPermanent polar covering
aurora borealis · midnight sun · Svalbard · Greenland · Nunavut · arctic fox · polar bear · walrus
Recoiling metal spiral
- summerYear's warmest season
- autumnPost-summer cooling period
- winterYear's coldest quarter
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
solstice · harvest · blossom · foliage · thaw · migration · hibernation · snowfall
Geographic or personal freedom
- equatorMidpoint circle of rotation
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- orientationPosition relative to surroundings
- borealOf northern regions
meridian · prime meridian · Greenwich · navigation · hemispheric · parallels · cartography · globe
Mild, avoiding extremes
- continentalOf a continent
- oceanicOf the sea
- subarcticZone south of Arctic
- taigaSubarctic evergreen biome
monsoon · steppe · polar · dry season · wet season · jet stream · weather patterns
Plants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- biomesMajor ecological community types
- habitatsNative dwelling places
endemic species · deciduous forests · coniferous forests · migratory birds · salmon runs · monarch butterfly · temperate rainforest · alpine meadows
Winter nativity celebration
- HanukkahEight-day Jewish celebration
- DiwaliHindu festival of lights
- Lunar New YearFestival marking moon-calendar's beginning
- RamadanNinth Islamic month
Eid · Thanksgiving · Halloween · Carnival · Midsummer · Oktoberfest · Bastille Day · Canada Day
polar
Of extreme latitudes
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
icecap · aurora borealis · midnight sun · Svalbard · Greenland · Nunavut · arctic fox · polar bear · walrus · seal
spring
Recoiling metal spiral
equinox · solstice · harvest · blossom · foliage · thaw · migration · hibernation · snowfall · heatwave
latitude
Geographic or personal freedom
- equatorMidpoint circle of rotation
- compassDevice showing cardinal directions
- orientationPosition relative to surroundings
boreal · meridian · prime meridian · Greenwich · navigation · hemispheric · parallels · cartography · globe · axis
temperate
Mild, avoiding extremes
- continentalOf a continent
- oceanicOf the sea
- subarcticZone south of Arctic
taiga · monsoon · steppe · polar · dry season · wet season · jet stream · weather patterns
flora
Plants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- biomesMajor ecological community types
habitats · endemic species · deciduous forests · coniferous forests · migratory birds · salmon runs · monarch butterfly · temperate rainforest · alpine meadows · wetlands
Christmas
Winter nativity celebration
- HanukkahEight-day Jewish celebration
- DiwaliHindu festival of lights
- Lunar New YearFestival marking moon-calendar's beginning
Ramadan · Eid · Thanksgiving · Halloween · Carnival · Midsummer · Oktoberfest · Bastille Day · Canada Day · Fourth of July
- hemispheresequator, poles, South Pole, prime meridian, globe
- tropicsequator, tropical climate, coconut tree, tropical, tropical zone
- regionsregion, regions, area, areas, zone
Northern HemisphereSouthern Hemisphere
Earth beneath the equator
South · Antarctic · Australasia · Antarctica
north, northerly, northward, hemisphere, northeastern, North America, northwards, northwestern, North Pole