The present‐day periglacial zones of the polar regions in both hemispheres have many features in common, caused by the peculiarities of climate, glaciological and geocryological processes, and the geomorphology of the periglacial regions. On the other hand, there exist essential differences in the general appearance of the periglacial zones in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, related mainly to particular features of continental glaciation. An analysis of the literature and of data from the author's field observations have allowed him to reach some conclusions as to the major features of the geocryology of the polar regions: the thickness, distribution, temperature, and cryogenic structure of the permafrost and of seasonally frozen materials and the ground ice and cryogenic relief of these areas. This, in turn, made it possible to identify a geocryological zonation of the polar regions and to advance a new concept as to the present‐day periglacial zone.