This largely roadless region brings dark, sunless winters and bright summers known for their Midnight Sun, a place where indigenous people have lived for thousands of years and where many continue to hunt, fish, and gather for most of their food. The region also sustains some of the world's largest caribou herds and populations of migrating birds. Other wildlife includes whales and polar bears, along with an array of other mammals, birds, fish, and flora. Gold and oil stampedes tell some of the story of the region's recent history, but its true legacy remains in remote parklands such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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