Strategic Competition in the Arctic

摘要

The Arctic is most commonly defined as the territory north of the Arctic Circle (66.5°N), covering an area twice the size of Europe, though some definitions of the region also include adjoining territories.1 It can be readily divided into three sub-regions - the European Arctic, the Siberian Arctic, and the North American Arctic -based on both the physical environment and political considerations. At any given latitude, the European Arctic is generally the warmest of the three, while the North American Arctic is usually the coldest. The milder conditions of the European Arctic make it more accessible to maritime traffic than other sub-regions, and have also contributed to it having most of the Arctic's population.