Utqiagvik, the town whose night lasts for 2 months
Due to its location far north of the equator, Utqiagvik, like other cities in the Arctic Circle, suffers from a lack of sun for quite a long time, or specifically 64 days in a row.
On November 19, more than 5,000 residents of this town enjoyed the last sunset of 2022, and they will begin a life without the sun until January 23, 2023.
What if 64 days, 1536 hours do not see the sun?
The lack of natural energy from the Sun causes the temperature in this region as well as in other regions with the same geographical location to drop significantly. The temperature in Utqiagvik is lower than 0 degrees Celsius about 160 days a year.
The majority of residents here are native Alaskan Iñupiat. They have lived in the polar regions for thousands of years. Historically, the Iñupiat people have endured and survived the harsh climate by hunting whales, reindeer, seals and birds.
The amount of light that Utqiagvik residents will see over 60 days
Residents of the town of Utqiagvik often work in many different fields with the common purpose of serving the exploitation of the nearby oil field. Daily meals often have to rely on subsistence food sources due to their remote location. Every spring, the community gathers to celebrate the successful whaling season.
However, climate change has made hunting more difficult. There is not much ice left, so locals no longer see some species such as seals, walruses, and polar bears appearing regularly.
Compared to the rest of the United States, most residents in Utqiagvik lead a segregated life. Although tourism has grown more in recent years, the total number of restaurants in the town only stops at 5.
Mr. Myron and his wife, Susan McCumber, run a 12-room motel in town. Their guests are mainly tour groups from Brazil. Talking about life in Alaska, he said that people here have quite independent thoughts: “Although it belongs to the United States, life here is quite separate.”
Business activities face many challenges due to low light conditions
Besides, doing business in Utqiagvik also comes with its own set of challenges. Specifically food prices. Because the process of transporting goods here takes a lot of effort, especially in the current time of darkness, the price of goods will often be increased many times when reaching consumers. use.
For example, a normal bottle of mineral water bought at Walmart costs 6 USD (about 147,000 VND), here it is sold for 48 USD (more than 1.1 million VND), equivalent to an increase of 8 times. Milk cartons with a volume of 4 liters are sold for 14 USD (about 345,000 VND), and a bag of washing powder costs 98 USD (about 2.4 million VND).
With such cost and lifestyle, do you think you can survive for 2 months without the sun and sub-freezing temperatures?
Source: Unofficial Networks, Insider