Denmark claims North Pole

[amoy]

Denmark claims North Pole | Barentsobserver

Denmark's claim covers approximately 900,000 square kilometres – or about 20 times the size of Denmark. (Photo: um.dk)

Denmark will on Monday afternoon become the first country to claim ownership of the North Pole. Scientific data shows Greenland's continental shelf is connected to a ridge beneath the Arctic Ocean, says Denmark's Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard.

The Government of Denmark will together with the Government of Greenland claim ownership of around 900,000 square kilometers of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean by filing a submission to United Nations. The area is as large as France and Germany put together and 20 times bigger than Denmark itself.

With the move, Denmark will become the first country in the world to attempt to claim outright ownership of the North Pole.

"The submission of our claim to the continental shelf north of Greenland is a historic and important milestone for the Kingdom of Denmark," Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said in a statement.

Submissions by many States already await consideration by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. Denmark acknowledges that Norway's continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles overlaps the Danish claim. It may also overlap with claims by Canada, Russia and the United States.

Russia claims that the Lomonosov Ridge, which goes straight across the North Pole, is a continuation of the Russian continental shelf and plans to file a claim in spring 2015.

The process of evaluating the Danish claims can take as much as 10-15 years, according to Politiken. If more than one state gets their claim approved by the commission, it will be up to the parties themselves to negotiate bilateral delimitation agreements.

Before filing the claim, Denmark has spent twelve years collecting the needed scientific data and filed claims of four other areas close to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The total costs of collecting and processing data from these remote areas amount to DKK 330 million (app. €44.3 billion), Politiken writes.

Norway in 2009 became the first country to settle an agreement with the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The country's newly defined continental shelf in the north covers 235,000 km2 or three-quarters the size of mainland Norway. The shelf boundary is between 84 and 85 degrees north, approx half the way between the northern edge Svalbard and the North Pole.

 

[Kshatriya87]

Vow. What's next? New Zealand claiming Antarctica?

 

[Razor]

Vow. What's next? New Zealand claiming Antarctica?

They already do.

Territorial claims in Antarctica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Kshatriya87]

They already do.

Territorial claims in Antarctica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LOL. I thought the world signed an agreement that there will be no claiming and conquering of Antarctica.

 

[Razor]

LOL. I thought the world signed an agreement that there will be no claiming and conquering of Antarctica.

Yes, I believe there is an agreement.

The claimants recognize the claims among themselves.
And officially no other country recognizes these claims.

And to be frank, nothing can be done other than scientific experiments, in Antarctika. There is a ice sheet that is over a mile thick.

 

[pmaitra]

Source: Russia criticised for planting Arctic flag - Telegraph

 

[amoy]

General Nice Group to take over Greenland mine[1]|chinadaily.com.cn

General Nice deal to be first by an Asian company in the Arctic region
General Nice Group, a Chinese private trading company, is taking over a large iron ore mine in Greenland, in what will be the first project of its kind by an Asian country in the Arctic region.

A senior adviser to General Nice, who declined to be named, told China Daily on Monday that the project is at the very initial stage and nothing has been nailed yet, including the deal size, which was reported to be around $2 billion.

The iron ore mine, called Isua, was owned by London Mining Plc, which went bankrupt after iron ore prices plunged last year. The Chinese company will own the exploration rights of Isua as it has acquired London Mining's subsidiary in Greenland, according to the Greenland government.

Industry experts, however, do not anticipate much gain for the Chinese company from the project due to high costs, labor shortages and environmental issues.

Chang Xingguo, deputy director and a senior analyst of the international affairs and mining finance department with the China Mining Association, said Chinese companies have been interested in the Isua project since 2009 when iron ore prices were high and many domestic miners were seeking overseas acquisition opportunities.

"However, due to the high operational costs and strict environmental regulations in Greenland, Chinese companies have not finalized any agreement yet," he said. "With global iron ore prices starting to decline in 2014, interest in the Isua project from Chinese buyers has also started to wane."

The Isua mine site is around 150 kilometers northeast of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The ore contains 70 percent iron, and hence will require minimal processing before being shipped.

"Though the quality of the iron ore is high, the project still doesn't have good profit potential," Chang said.

Wei Zengming, an industrial analyst at Mysteel, a Shanghai-based commodities consultancy, said though the deal is not profitable from a business perspective, it may be a good option to test Chinese companies' mining ability in the Arctic region where advanced technologies are required for the extreme weather condition and temperature.

 

[Virendra]

As soon as Technology makes poles feasible/expoitable for human race, there are going to be wars on them.
Add this to the list of land, oil etc