In an effort to assert its sovereignty in the resource-rich Arctic, Canada plans to make a claim to the North Pole.
The Canadian government has asked
scientists to work on a future submission to the United Nations claiming that
the outer limits of the country's continental shelf include the pole, which so
far has been claimed by no one.
Currently, under international law,
Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the U.S. —the five countries with
territories near the Arctic Circle are allotted 200 nautical miles from their
northern coasts.
Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of
the Sea, exclusive claims can be vastly expanded for Arctic nations that prove
that their part of the continental shelf extends beyond that zone.
Canada's submission set out the potential
outer limits of the country's continental shelf in the Atlantic — a claim of
about 1.2 million square kilometers. The
countries follow up submission would extend Canada's claim 200 nautical miles
beyond the North Pole. These submissions
would give Canada control of the regions natural resources, which, according to
the U.S. Geological Survey contains 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered natural
gas and 15 percent of oil.
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