๐ Planet Earth ๐ง Ice and springs
The igloo
๐ In short
An igloo is a small round house made of snow blocks, built by the Inuit people of the Arctic to shelter from cold and storms. It may seem strange that a house of snow keeps you warm, but inside it really is cozy!
๐คฉ Did you know?
- In the Inuit language, the word โiglooโ means โhouseโ.
- The igloo floor is covered with animal skins to sit on.
- At the top of an igloo there's a small hole to let fresh air in.
- Today some people build igloos for fun and for winter camping.
๐ Find out more
๐ How is it built?
The builder cuts blocks of packed snow with a long knife, then stacks them in a circle, each row leaning in a little, until they meet at the top and make a dome.
๐ Warm inside
Packed snow holds lots of trapped air, which stops heat getting out. The warmth of people's bodies and a small lamp are enough to heat the igloo, making it much warmer than outside.
๐ก The low entrance
An igloo's door is a low tunnel you crawl through, lower than the floor of the house, so cold air stays in the tunnel and doesn't get in.
๐ฏ A temporary home
Some hunters built an igloo in an hour or two to spend the night in on hunting trips. Their permanent homes were made of stone, earth and skins.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 What is an igloo built from?
2 Why is it warm inside an igloo?
3 Which picture shows โThe iglooโ?
๐ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Drawn by unknown artist based on sketches by C.F. Hall and photographed from the book by User:Finetooth ยท Public domain
- Wikimedia Commons ยท Public domain
- Clayoquot ยท CC BY-SA 3.0
