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P O L A R E X P L O R AT I O N : C O U R AG E A N D C O N T ROV E R S Y

Into the Arctic The Arctic, the area surrounding the North Pole, was the first polar region to be explored. It is much closer to Europe, where most explorers came from. They already knew a little bit about it. Europeans had had some contact with native Arctic people for centuries. An important reason to explore the Arctic was its position on the globe. Europe depended on trading with people in Chi- na, India, and Indonesia. Reaching those places from Western Europe was difficult. The journey over land meant dealing with robbers and rough terrain. The sea route, around the southern tip of Africa, was better, but still long and dangerous. Europeans hoped theremight be a northern route that would be faster and easier. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the world’s geography was still being sketched out. At the time, Europeans believed that China and India were not as far away as they really are. The Arctic Ocean is perched at the top of the globe. They thought going across it could be the perfect shortcut. Looking for this “northwest passage” became the goal of many explorers. In addition, explorers hoped to cash in on the resources of the Arctic. Seal furs, ivory walrus tusks, and whale oil were valuable items in European markets. The idea of finding a passage was simple in concept. In practice it was extremely difficult. Expedition after expedition set out.The lucky ones returned only to report their failure.The unlucky ones were never heard fromagain.Many explorers died