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The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet's surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 88-90% of the human population. In the temperate regions of the hemisphere, winter lasts from December to February (though winter weather can begin as early as September and last into May or even June in arctic regions) and Summer from June to August. The Earth's perihelion, during which its orbital motion is fastest, occurs in January. In theory, northern hemisphere winters would therefore tend to be shorter and less severe than southern hemisphere winters at equivalent latitudes, but in practice, the moderating effect of the larger southern hemisphere oceans more than compensates for this effect. Tropical regions tend to experience a rainy season during the 'summer' months, and a dry season during the 'winter' months. Regions north of the Arctic Circle will experience some days in summer on which the sun never sets, and some days in winter on which the sun never rises. The duration of these phases varies from one day for places right on the Arctic circle to several months near the North Pole itself.
Continents and countries on Earths Northern Hemisphere
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