At the highest latitudes of Earth, environmental conditions are extreme: summers are very short, temperatures below the freezing point reign most of the year and, on top of it all, solar radiation is dangerously intense because the atmosphere is thinner. Numerous factors that, from our perspective, would prevent normal development of any kind of life. However, many plant and animal species manage to overcome these natural obstacles.
The tundra and taiga are considered cold biomes. Both are located at the high latitude strips, above 50°. The northern hemisphere has both ecological zones, while there is practically no tundra in the southern hemisphere (only in some southern islands and the Antarctic peninsula) and the tundra is non-existent.
