A traditional Inuit dwelling made from blocks of compacted snow is called an igloo.
The word comes from Inuit languages, where iglu can mean a house or home made from many different materials. In everyday English, however, “igloo” usually means a dome-shaped snow shelter. The more specific Inuktitut term igluvijaq refers to a snowhouse, while igluit is the plural form of igloo.
Igloos work because snow contains many trapped air pockets, making it an effective insulator. In extreme conditions, outside temperatures can fall to about −45°C, while an occupied shelter may reach temperatures between −7°C and 16°C from body heat alone. Wind-packed snow is especially useful because it is firm enough to cut into blocks and stack.
The popular image of every Inuit person living in an igloo is misleading. Snowhouses were traditionally used especially in Canada’s Central Arctic and parts of Greenland; other Inuit communities often built homes from whalebone, hides, driftwood, or sod. Igloos could be temporary hunting shelters, family dwellings, or larger connected structures for community gatherings.