The phrase “land of the midnight sun” refers to the regions inside and around the Arctic Circle in the far north, where the sun stays above the horizon for 24 hours a day in summer.

What the phrase means

  • The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon where the sun is still visible at local midnight during part of the summer.
  • This happens because Earth’s axis is tilted, so areas near the poles are tilted toward the sun for long periods around their summer solstice.

Where the land of the midnight sun is

  • In common travel and cultural use, countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska (USA), and northern Russia are all described as part of the land of the midnight sun because large parts of them lie above the Arctic Circle.
  • Some tourism boards use the phrase especially strongly for specific areas, like Northern Norway and Lapland in Finland and Sweden, which market themselves as classic land‑of‑the‑midnight‑sun destinations.

Is it just one country?

  • There is no single official country that uniquely owns the title; the term covers all regions within (or very near) the Arctic Circle that experience continuous daylight in summer.
  • Different sources may highlight one country more than others (for example, some call Norway or Finland the land of the midnight sun), but they are all referring to the same high‑latitude phenomenon.