Over the years, many North Pole myths and legends have been born. With its location in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and so few people have been there, the North Pole has given rise to some tall tales, from magnetic mountains to whether it even exists.

Here I bust 7 of our favourite North Pole Myths.

Myth 1: The North Pole Doesn’t Exist

According to our research here at North Pole Cruises, the phrase “Is the North Pole Real?” is searched 3600 times per month on Google. 2400 people in the US ask the question monthly making it the most asked North Pole myth.

The good news is that, yes, the North Pole is real! (Our team has been lucky enough to go there and bust the myth ourselves.)

The North Pole is a physical point at 90 degrees North (literally the top of the Earth), but it’s located on floating ice floes that move with the wind and ocean currents.

Maybe that’s why some people think the North Pole doesn’t exist.

Myth 2: Penguins Live at The North Pole

Another Arctic myth is that penguins live there. Our research shows that the phrase “North Pole Penguins” is searched globally 2900 times monthly.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately, North Pole penguins don’t exist, and you won’t find penguins at the South Pole either.

Penguins are real, but they only live in the southern hemisphere.

These flightless birds have evolved in Antarctica, not the Arctic, because the many rocky islands and coastlines provide a suitable habitat for breeding and nesting. The Southern Ocean has an abundance of fish that the Arctic lacks, making it perfect for our feathered friends.

Penguins don’t get as far south as the South Pole. Apart from the temperatures dropping to -50 degrees in winter, the South Pole is also a long way from the nearest coastline, which is essential for penguins to nest and feed.

Myth 3: The North Pole is at the Centre of the Earth

A more modern North Pole myth is that the North Pole is the centre of the planet. According to the Flat Earth theory, the planet is a disk with the North Pole at the centre, and Antarctica is a ring of impenetrable ice around the edges.

The flat Earth theory dates back to ancient times when most people thought the Earth was plate-shaped because they couldn’t prove otherwise.

Science has debunked the theory since the 15th century, and modern satellite imagery proves it right. But the flat Earth theory has made a comeback as a modern-day conspiracy theory.

As someone who has sailed around the world, I can tell you that the Earth is a globe—I haven’t sailed off the edge yet!

Myth 4: There’s a giant magnetic mountain at the North Pole

The most imaginative North Pole myth is that there’s a giant magnetic mountain at the top of the world. I must admit we didn’t see it when we went there, so I can confirm it’s not there.

This myth hasn’t been taken seriously for a long time, but it dates back to Gerardus Mercator’s First Map Of The North Pole, created in 1595.

The map shows a giant magnetic mountain at 90 degrees north.

I guess, at the time, this was the explanation as to why magnetic compasses point north. Unfortunately, The Magnetic Mountain is a work of pure and unadulterated fiction that would be more at home in a science fiction novel than an Atlas.

It’s also worth noting that the Geographic North Pole differs from the Magnetic North Pole, where compasses point. Maybe the magnetic mountain is there instead.

Myth 5: There’s land under the North Pole

According to our research, “Is There Land At The North Pole?” is searched on Google 1900 times a month. Searchers could be forgiven for asking this question as there is land under the South Pole in Antarctica, which is often confused with.

The North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean and is covered by a thick layer of permanent sea ice, around 3 meters thick, all year round.

Under the ice, there is no land at the North Pole, just the murky blue depths of the Arctic Ocean. The seabed at the North Pole is over 4km deep.

In 1958, the US submersible Nautilus proved there was no land at the North Pole when it sailed under the sea ice at a depth of around 500 feet beneath the ice.

Myth 6: The first person to reach the North Pole was in 1908

The race to the North Pole has been disputed ever since Frederik Cook claimed to have reached it in 1908 with two Inuit men. The claim was widely disputed as Cook couldn’t provide proof he had.

This was followed in 1909 by Robert Peary, who claimed to be the first man to reach the North Pole. At the time, his navigation was all over the place, and the claim was highly disputed.

In 1926, on the airship Norge with a crew of 15 men, Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the North Pole. The airship took off from Ny Alesund in Svalbard, where the original mast that docked the airship still stands today, along with a statue to commemorate the great explorer.

Myth 7: The North Pole and the South Pole are the same

It’s a common myth that the North and South Pole are identical. While they are at opposite ends of the planet and connected by the Earth’s axis, they are geographically very different.

Unlike the North Pole, the South Pole is on land and ice. Before you get to the land, there are 2800 meters of ice under the South Pole. The elevation of the South Pole is much higher than the North Pole, which is just above sea level.

The South Pole’s altitude and location in the middle of the Antarctic Ice Sheet makes it much colder than the North Pole, with winter temperatures dropping to -60c. The North Pole is not on a continent, while the South Pole is on the continent of Antarctica.

I hope you enjoyed my North Pole myths. If you want to see for yourself, please check out our North Pole Cruises, where you can debunk these myths.