The Murmansk region in Russia is located almost entirely north of the Arctic Circle, so its territory experiences polar nights every year. At Murmansk's latitude, the polar night lasts from December 2 to January 11.
On Thursday, the first day after the polar night, Murmansk residents traditionally climb the city's highest mountain, to greet the first dawn, when the sun appears for a few minutes and floods the horizon with golden light.
The length of the first daylight hours in the city was about 20 minutes, but for northerners who have lived for 40 days without any sun, those 20 minutes are a reason to rejoice and watch the length of the daylight hours grow.
Explore the Sputnik Africa's gallery as Murmansk welcomed its first sunny day in 40 days!