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Northwest Passage
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Map of the Arctic region highlighting the Northwest Passage, a maritime route shown with a red line connecting the Atlantic Ocean near Greenland to the Pacific Ocean via the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, passing north of Canada and Alaska through the Bering Sea. Major islands and surrounding countries such as Russia, Norway, Denmark (Greenland), the United States (Alaska), and Canada are labeled. Baffin Bay Hudson, Henry Franklin expedition McClure expedition Roald Amundsen Northwest Passage: icebreaker Side-by-side thematic maps showing the minimum and maximum sea ice extents in the Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) regions. The Arctic map centers on the North Pole and Arctic Ocean, with colored lines marking median and recent maximum and minimum ice edges for March and September. The Antarctic map centers on the South Pole and Antarctica, similarly outlining the seasonal and median sea ice boundaries in the Southern Ocean. Surrounding continents and major bodies of water are labeled for geo Map of the Arctic region showing major historical exploration routes, with color-coded lines tracing the Northwest Passage, Northeast Passage, and notable expeditions such as those by Robert Peary, Fridtjof Nansen, Ralph Plaisted, Wally Herbert, Sibiryakov, Arktika, and Sibir. The map highlights paths across the Arctic Ocean and surrounding landmasses, connecting locations in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and northern Europe.
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wave. ocean. Cresting ocean wave. Large sea waves. storm, hurricane, tropical cyclone
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Map of the Arctic region highlighting the Northwest Passage, a maritime route shown with a red line connecting the Atlantic Ocean near Greenland to the Pacific Ocean via the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, passing north of Canada and Alaska through the Bering Sea. Major islands and surrounding countries such as Russia, Norway, Denmark (Greenland), the United States (Alaska), and Canada are labeled.
Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage

trade route, North America
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Northwest Passage, historical sea passage of the North American continent. It represents centuries of effort to find a route westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Archipelago of what became Canada. The quest for the passage was one of the world’s severest maritime challenges. The route is located 500 miles (800 km) north of the Arctic Circle and less than 1,200 miles (1,930 km) from the North Pole. It consists...

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