The igloo is the most common symbol identified with the Eskimos, but most Eskimos do not live in what most people think an igloo is.

An igloo is just an Eskimo word for “house.” Technically, most Eskimos do live in the igloos as they are defined, but not in the way most people think of them.

Mainly through the use of cartoons, people have long thought that the Eskimos live in rounded ice houses to warm themselves in the cold climate in which they live. At first, this could be true, but now it is not.

Nowadays, the Eskimos live in wooden, stone and even cement buildings. They have heaters that keep them warm in the colder months.

Snow igloos are not spherical but are built in the shape of a paraboloid. Using this form, the stresses of snow as it ages and compresses are less likely to cause it to buckle, since the inverted paraboloid or catenoid the pressures are closer to being exclusively compressive.

Igloos are gradually getting shorter with time due to the compressive creep of the snow.

Download Igloo PNG images transparent gallery.