The age-old bear puzzle

One morning I went for a walk. Starting at point x, I walked 1 mile due south to point A. Then I walked one mile due west to point B. Then I walked one mile due north and I found I had returned to where I started. Then I saw a bear walk by. What color was the bear?
There is only one place on earth where you can do this AND potentially see a bear. This really confused me as a 6th grader... it's a fun geography puzzle for the middle school crowd. Answer after the break.

The answer is white. Because the only place this works is if you start at north pole. And bears there are white. Look straight down on a globe to see how this works.  (Actually, there are some places near the south pole where this also works. But there are no bears near the south pole!)