Sunrise and Sunset control many of our daily customs, starting with when we eat breakfast in the morning till the time when we go to sleep in the evening. But what would we do if the sun never rises and never sets? This is what many people in the world live through every year. Presenting to you 10 cities around the world that don’t see sunlight for many months, and sometimes they go through times of constant daytime.

Greenland!

Greenland is considered one of the world’s largest islands and is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Pole. It doesn’t see daylight at all except for a certain period of the year, specifically between the end of May and the end of January only. This period sees what is commonly called a Midnight Sun. The sun doesn’t rise on this island but during that time of the year.

Iceland!

This is one of the islands that is located in the northern most part of the Atlantic Ocean. It sits on the Arctic Circle and sees 20-hours nights during winter, with the sun appearing 4 short hours. In the summer, on the other hand, daytime extends up to 22 hours.

The town of Viganella

This is one Italian city where the sun is completely absent from November 15 till the beginning of February. The reason for this phenomenon is its location at the bottom of a deep valley, as it is surrounded by high mountains on all sides. The villagers were able to resolve this problem in 2006 by using giant mirrors that reflect Sunlight directly to the bottom.

The Village of Rajukan

The same happens in this village of Norway, with 3,500 inhabitants. It is surrounded by enough hills and high plateaus to obscure the sun for 7 months every year, between September and March. They followed in the Italian town’s steps in the winter of 2013. Giant mirrors were set atop the nearby hills, giving it its first date with sunlight ever.

Alaska!

Its original inhabitants call it “the great land” and “the land of contradictions”. It is a very cold place with a recorded low of 61 degrees under zero. It also witnesses the Midnight Sun phenomenon. It spends 6 months in constant daylight and 6 month in darkness.

The city of Mormanisk!

This city of 310 thousand inhabitants is part of a phenomenon called “Polar Night” whereby the sun stops rising over the horizon for about a month and a half starting on December 2nd till January 11th. This city is better off than most other cities in the arctic circle that usually see that phenomenon last half the year. Despite it all, the inhabitants live a normal life during the sunless period using artificial light. Their occupation is mostly fishing, canning, and exporting, with some involved in ship building.

The Inuit’s Country!

During this area’s summers, the sun doesn’t set at all on certain days, but during long periods in the winter season, the sun doesn’t rise at all. It is extremely cold all throughout the year.

Finland!

Finland is part of the Scandinavian area of Northern Europe. The sun rises at midnight in its northern parts and the day is longer in its summers and periods of continuous daylight increase the closer it is to the pole, lasting up to 2.5 months. The winter sees similarly continuous periods of darkness that last 2 months.

Sweden!

The Swedish city of Omio doesn’t see the sun throughout winter, with a deep darkness settling on the area throughout its daytime. The problem has been resolved by its power company, which decided to expose the inhabitants to Ultraviolet light to compensate for the deficiencies that the lack of sunlight causes in their bodies.  Thirty stations were set up for this cause.

Longyearbyen!

This largest Norwegian colony in the North Pole is considered the most important northernmost city in the world. The area was discovered by the American John Longyear so the town was called after him Longyearbyen. The area is home to 3,000 polar bears and doesn’t see the sun rise for about 4 months. The sun sets for the last time on November 25 of every year and doesn’t officially emerge above the horizon till March 8.