Tundra is a biome: a massive expanse of the planet's surface defined by climatological conditions. Cities, therefore, do not have tundras. Tundra has cities. That said, because the earmarks of tundra are long, often permanently dark winters, in which growing seasons are short and little if any industry is possible, there are few cities in tundra.

The Antarctic and Alpine Tundras

Tundra south of the equator is limited to Antarctica. It does not extend to even the most southerly points of South America or Australia. There being no cities in Antarctica, there are no cities in the Antarctic tundra. Alpine tundra is defined not by latitude but by elevation. There are no cities at the height above sea level that defines alpine tundra.

The Arctic Tundra

The Arctic tundra -- that belt of the northern hemisphere that surrounds the northern polar cap but is not part of the arctic biome -- descends surprisingly far south. Parts of the U.S. state of Alaska and the countries of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia are all in the Arctic tundra biome. Regardless of how cold and bleak the weather may be in the northern contiguous states in the middle of winter, technically, the tundra does not extend below northernmost Canada.

Canadian Tundra Cities

In Canada, cities in the tundra biome include Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik, Iqaluit, Old Crow, Qausuittuq and Tuktoyaktuk. These cities are all on the northernmost frontier, in the Northwest Territories, the Nunavut provinces and the Yukon Territory.

More Tundra Cities

In Russia, the cities of Anadyr, Dikson, Kahabarovo, Kara, Matochkin Shar, Murmansk, Nordvik, Polyarnyy and Tiksi are all in the tundra. The Norwegian cities of Alta, Bodo, Hammerfest, Harstad, Nesna, Svolvaer, Tramso and Vardo are all in the tundra, as are the cities of Eskifjordur and Saudarkrokur in Iceland, and Etah, Godhavn and Thule in Greenland. All of these cities are at the northern extremities of the respective countries. The tundra also extends into parts of Lapland, Scandinavia and Siberia, but there are no cities in these places: While the areas that the tundra biome comprises are simply vast, they are largely uninhabited; bands of nomadic reindeer herders move across the tundra, but they do not set up settlements that could eventually become cities. The desert-like levels of precipitation and scouring winds make it unlikely that any such settlements will occur.

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