Throughout this site, you'll find that in most matters, the circumpolar nations have a great deal in common. This week, however, we're going to look at one of the aspects of the North where the regional differences are extreme - the development of cities.

      Last week's feature on World Heritage Sites in the North showed that, when both natural and cultural heritage resources are considered, Northern countries have a large number of sites considered to be of world significance. When only the man-made environment is taken into account, however, the list is not only short, but consists of sites within a relatively small part of the North. The 9 Northern cities designated by the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) are:

Finland

Rauma

Norway

Bergen

Røros

Russian Federation

Kazan

Moscow

Novgorod

St. Petersburg

Sweden

Karskrona

Stockholm

Visby

      Although in many respects the 151 cities (complete list) recognized by the OWHC are merely a subset of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, the tighter focus allows for more direct action to protect the cities. This ranges from offering specialized training, to urging the international community to avoid targeting World Heritage Cities during armed conflicts, as happened to Dubrovnik in 1991

      A discussion of the reasons why cities didn't develop in Siberia, Alaska or the Canadian Arctic as early as in Scandinavia and western Russia is more suitable for a PhD thesis than an Internet article, which is probably why I've been unable to find anything about it to link to! Climate, availability of natural resources for both survival and building permanent structures, trade networks, advancements in boat-building technology - all are likely components in such a discussion. And you can probably add serendipity in there as well.

      To expand that even further, are Luleå and St. Petersburg really more significant in understanding human history than the Viking town of Birka, or a caribou fence used by the semi-nomadic Athapaskans? Perhaps that depends on your cultural perspective and how it's been developed and/or altered during your life.

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