An igloo is a construction made of ice.
Igloo is a term that belongs to the Inuit language , spoken by the Eskimos (the Mongolian people who live in the Arctic ). It is a house built with blocks of ice , which is usually characterized by its hemispherical shape.
An igloo, therefore, is an ice house that Eskimos and other people with similar characteristics live in during the winter. These shelters are therefore usually temporary and are widely used by hunters.
Building an igloo
Building an igloo is simple and inexpensive, making this type of housing a common alternative for Inuit people . Developing other structures in frozen and isolated regions, on the other hand, is very expensive.
The originality and uniqueness of this type of construction has currently led to igloos being established in different places around the world for tourist purposes . Thus, for example, in Andorra there is an igloo village that allows you to enjoy these peculiar accommodations during a short stay or vacation.
Nowadays, an igloo can be used for tourism.
Classification according to type
Broadly speaking, three types of igloo can be distinguished. The smallest is the one that hunters build and look for a night shelter while they travel through frozen areas to obtain food.
Other igloos are larger and are used as family housing during the winter. Larger igloos, on the other hand, are permanent and have several rooms.
The igloo is built with compacted snow and ice blocks . Typically, the igloo is built in the same place where the snow for the structure is extracted. The Eskimos do not resort to any temporary support structure, but instead support one block of ice on another until the space is closed.
Features of an igloo
In addition to all this, we must highlight these other hallmarks of the igloos:
- They are usually made in the shape of a dome.
- The back part is usually used as a bed.
- The usual thing is that the door is very small, to prevent the entry of cold, and it should be oriented to the leeward side.
- Inside, temperatures ranging between -7º and 16º can be recorded.
- It is essential that there be a hole in its upper part, so that all the gases that can be harmful and lethal to humans can escape through it.
- On some occasions, they even include a window to give greater light to the interior.
Unlike what you might think, the interior of the igloo is comfortable since the snow has good insulating properties. In any case, some Eskimo peoples line the interior of the house with animal skins to increase the internal temperature.
Other considerations
The igloo is so important in some places in the world, due to the work it does and how significant it is, that it has even been established as part of the territorial shield. A good example of this is Nunavut , in Canada , close to East Greenland , which basically subsists thanks to the exploitation of mineral resources as well as fishing and even agriculture.
It should not be overlooked either that IGLU is the acronym for the University Management and Leadership Institute of Santo Domingo , in the Dominican Republic .