Arctic Sovereignty
National interest often involves claiming sovereignty over territory. This is the case in the Arctic, where five countries - Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, and Russia - claim sovereignty to islands and the seabed. In August 2007, Russia claimed part of the 1800-kilometre Lomonosov Ridge, which runs under the Arctic Ocean. The Russian government says that this ridge is an extension of its continental shelf. Russian scientists mapped part of the ridge, collected soil samples, and planted a flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole in a symbolic claim to the natural resources that may be buried there. Canada disputes this claim.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries have sovereignty over 22.2 kilometres of sea beyond their coastline and control of the resources in and under the sea for 370 kilometres. Proving that the seabed is an extension of its continental shelf may give a country rights to harvest resources in a larger area.
Two factors have highlighted the importance of claiming sovereignty in the Arctic. The first is climate change, which is causing Arctic ice to melt. This melting may open the Northwest Passage - a water route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans - to year-round commercial navigation, substantially shortening the distance ships must travel between Asia and Europe. The Northwest Passage is claimed by Canada, but other countries, including the United States, say that it is international. The second factor that has made Arctic sovereignty an issue is the discovery of extensive oil, natural gas, gold, tin, and diamond deposits in the Arctic seabed. The United States Geological Survey, for example, suggest that 25% of the world's undiscovered oil and gas resources may lie in the Arctic.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries have sovereignty over 22.2 kilometres of sea beyond their coastline and control of the resources in and under the sea for 370 kilometres. Proving that the seabed is an extension of its continental shelf may give a country rights to harvest resources in a larger area.
Two factors have highlighted the importance of claiming sovereignty in the Arctic. The first is climate change, which is causing Arctic ice to melt. This melting may open the Northwest Passage - a water route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans - to year-round commercial navigation, substantially shortening the distance ships must travel between Asia and Europe. The Northwest Passage is claimed by Canada, but other countries, including the United States, say that it is international. The second factor that has made Arctic sovereignty an issue is the discovery of extensive oil, natural gas, gold, tin, and diamond deposits in the Arctic seabed. The United States Geological Survey, for example, suggest that 25% of the world's undiscovered oil and gas resources may lie in the Arctic.
What is each political cartoon suggesting?