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The monthly number of polar faculae of the Sun were determined from white-light images at spectral band A(eff) = (4100 -4-200) A obtained at the Kislovodsk Solar Station during 1960-1994. Corrected monthly numbers were obtained with the help of the visibility function. The level of polar activity larger than lcr above the monthly running mean was calculated, and the relation between the polar faculae and sunspot cycle was studied. We confirmed earlier results (Makarov and Makarova, 1987) that the monthly number of polar faculae, NPF~ (t) correlates with the monthly sunspot area A,~ (Sp)(t + T) with a time shift T ~-, 6 yr. The new polar faculae cycle began in the middle of 1991. Peculiarities of the first part of sunspot cycle 23 are discussed.

We derive the poleward migration trajectory diagram of the filament bands for the years 1915-1982 from the H-alpha synoptic charts. We find that the global solar activity commences soon after the polar field reversal in the form of two components in each hemisphere. The first component we identify with the polar faculae that appear at latitudes 40-70 ~ and migrate polewards. The second and the more powerful component representing the sunspots shows up at ~40 ~ latitudes 5-6 years later and drifts equatorward giving rise to the butterfly diagram. Thus the global solar activity is described by the faculae and the sunspots that occur at different latitude belts and displaced in time by 5-6 years. This gives rise to the prolonged duration for the global solar activity lasting for 16-18 years as against the 11 years which has come about based only on the spots. The two components match with the pattern of the coronal emission in 5303 ~ line. Finally, we show that the two components of activity also match with the pattern of excess shear associated with the torsional oscillations on the Sun and this provides a link between the torsional oscillations and the magnetic activity.

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