Reindeer live in the far north of the world, not just at the “North Pole.” They are found across the cold Arctic and subarctic regions of several countries.
Main regions
Reindeer (called caribou in North America) live in the Arctic tundra and nearby boreal forests of Greenland, Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland), Russia, Alaska, and northern Canada. These areas are cold, often treeless or with conifer forests, and have long, harsh winters that reindeer are well adapted to survive.
Types of habitat
Wild reindeer use two main habitat types: open tundra and boreal (taiga) forests. Some populations migrate between forest in winter and tundra in summer, traveling huge distances each year to find food.
Extra notes
Reindeer are native only to the Northern Hemisphere and do not live naturally south of about the 50th parallel, so there are none in places like the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to wild herds, there are also many semi- domesticated reindeer kept by people in northern Europe and Russia for herding and traditional livelihoods.
