POLAR REGIONS

Polar Politics

5 Polar Politics

In the Arctic

S everal countries have a shoreline on the Arctic Ocean. They are some of the major industrial nations of the north such as Russia, US, and Canada. At the beginning of the 20th century much of the Arctic was unclaimed. There seemed little of value there. Countries bought and sold great areas. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries Alaska provided a fur trade for Russia. Russia ruled Alaska but when the furs ran out, Russia sold the land to the US. By 1950 the Arctic countries had sliced up the Arctic like a cake. Each nation claimed a piece that stretched from their coastline to the North Pole. The USSR and North America faced each other across the Pole.

F ive nations border the Arctic Ocean. Some argue over the position of their borders in the Arctic Ocean At stake are large areas of continental shelf rich in fish and probably containing oil and gas. independence from Denmark since the Second World War. In 1979 Home Rule was given to Greenland. Fishing now gives Greenlanders their main income. It will be some time before they can cut all economic ties with Denmark. Polar Rule From Afar The largest Arctic island is ruled from far away. Greenland has been connected with Denmark since Viking times. Through all the changes in Europe and Scandinavia, Denmark ruled Greenland. Greenland has moved towards

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