World Factbook
XQ
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Country name
etymology
the name comes from the Greek word arktikos meaning "near the bear" or "northern," and that word derives from arktos , meaning "bear;" the name refers either to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear," which is prominent in the northern celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear," which contains Polaris, the North (Pole) Star