DCHP-2
nordicity DCHP-2 (October 2016)
n. — Geography
the degree of northernness of an Arctic region.
Type: 1. Origin — The concept of nordicity was developed by Canadian geographer Louis-Edmond Hamelin in the 1960s. Nordicity is calculated by considering ten factors that are "relevant to the major northern situations: latitude, summer heat above 5.6°C (42°F), annual cold below 0°C (32°F), types of ice (in the ground, on land, or on water), total precipitation, development of the vegetation cover, accessibility (air or surface), number of inhabitants or regional population density, and finally, degree of economic activity" (see Hamelin 1978: 17-18). Each factor has a maximum score of 100 VAPO, or valeurs polaires, and theoretically the geographic North Pole has the maximum 1000 VAPO. Hamelin's theory posits that "northern" territories should be identified on a continuum of natural and human factors, rather than on a few criteria. As seen in Chart 1, the term is virtually restricted to Canada. See Grace (2007) for a cultural-historical interpretation of the "idea of north" in the Canadian context.
Nordicity also refers to a concept of "The North" which is particular to Canadians and the Canadian identity (see the 1992 and 2000 quotations).
COD-2 lists the term as "Cdn".
