| Tundra |
| In the highest latitudes, ice inhibits plant growth and the soils are very thin. The long cold winters lead to areas of ground that are permanently frozen (permafrost) and to swamps where pockets of ground have briefly thawed in the summer. Vegetation consists of small flowering plants with very few trees. In the few dry areas on Antarctica, lichens are the only plants which grow. In high mountains at all latitudes, conditions similar to the polar tundra can prevail, with ice and snow present for much of the year.
Victoria Island, Canada
Mountain tundra, Pyrenees |
