Notes

Igloos, or the Ice Houses are generally built of snow and ice in very cold places. An igloo is a dome-shaped building, with blocks of ice built up in a spiral. The roof has a small hole for ventilation. The short door opening and a tunnel in front of the dome structure stops the heat from flowing outside and keeps the igloo warmer than the outside weather.The construction process of igloo is very interesting. Compact bricks of snow are cut from snow so that they are strong, and the structure is built without using any cement. The heat from the humans living inside melts the bricks and fuses them together. Wow!people like the Eskimos or the InuitsThey build larger igloos that they use as permanent home for their families. In fact sometimes when they have more than one family living close by they build a network of igloos connected together by tunnels.Why is an igloo dome shaped? Well, an arched dome shape is a balanced shape. It can support itself and stay strong even during arctic storms when powerful winds blow. In addition to the strength the shape provides, it also provides good insulation due to minimal surface area of the spherical section.