Knowra Arctic sovereignty Arctic sovereignty Arctic sovereignty is the exercise of political authority and jurisdiction over Arctic territories and waters. It involves territorial claims, maritime rights, governance, and the practical ability to enforce laws in a remote region.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea : The international treaty that defines maritime zones, navigation rights, and procedures for resolving ocean-boundary disputes. Its rules determine coastal states’ rights over Arctic waters and seabed.
Arctic exploration : The history of expeditions to map, traverse, and study the Arctic region. Exploration and mapping helped states establish and support claims to Arctic territories.
Northwest Passage dispute : The disagreement between Canada and the United States over the legal status of the Northwest Passage. It sharply contrasts Canada’s internal-waters position with the U.S. view that the route is an international strait.
Inuit Circumpolar Council : An international organization representing Inuit across Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka. Its advocacy stresses that Arctic governance also concerns Indigenous peoples and their rights.
Exclusive economic zone : A maritime zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coast, where a state holds specified resource rights. Arctic coastal states exercise resource jurisdiction in these zones without owning the waters.
Svalbard Treaty : The 1920 treaty recognizing Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard while granting equal economic access to nationals of signatory states. It is a distinctive treaty settlement that places limits on how Norway exercises authority in the archipelago.
Northern Sea Route : A shipping route along Russia’s Arctic coast connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Russia regulates navigation along this route, raising different questions from Canada’s control of the Northwest Passage.
Arctic Indigenous peoples : The Indigenous peoples whose homelands span the Arctic regions of several states. State jurisdiction overlaps with Indigenous rights, political authority, and long-standing relationships to land and sea.
Continental shelf : The seabed and subsoil extending from a coastal state’s land territory under rules defined by international law. Extended shelf claims can give Arctic states rights to seabed resources beyond 200 nautical miles.
Hans Island : A small island in the Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada, subject to a long-running boundary dispute. Its peaceful resolution illustrates how Arctic territorial claims can be settled by negotiation.
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