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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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Northwest Passage: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

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  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: American History Central - Northwest Passage. Oct 17, 2026
Add new Web site: American History Central - Northwest Passage. Oct 17, 2026
Add new Web site: CORE - Northern sea route: an overview of transportation risks, safety, and security (PDF). Apr 12, 2026
Add new Web site: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Explainer: The Northwest Passage’s Shipping Potential, Legal Status, and What’s at Stake. Dec 18, 2025
Add new Web site: Digital Commons at DU - Gaining Commandand Control of the Northwest Passage: Strait Talk on Sovereignty (PDF). Aug 01, 2025
Add new Web site: International Cartographic Association - The search for a Northwest passage: on the history of a scientific competition in geography and cartography (PDF). Jun 06, 2025
Add new Web site: University of Miami School of Law Institutional Repository - The New Ice Age: The Dawn of Arctic Shipping and Canada���s Fight for Sovereignty Over the Northwest Passage (PDF). Feb 15, 2025
Add new Web site: Academia - The Northwest Passage in the Arctic: A Brief Assessment of the Relevant Marine Transportation System and Current Availability of Search and Rescue Services. Nov 20, 2024
Add new Web site: North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network - The Debate over the Legal Status of the Northwest Passage. Aug 23, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections - Indians and Europeans on the Northwest Coast, 1774�1812. Aug 22, 2024
Add new Web site: Discovering the Arctic - The Northwest Passage – the Arctic Grail. Oct 12, 2023
Cross-reference added. Mar 31, 2023
Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - Panama Canal - Northwest Passage. Feb 20, 2023
Add new Web site: University of Houston - Cullen College of Engineering - The Engines of Our Ingenuity - Northwest Passage. Nov 09, 2021
Replaced media. Nov 03, 2021
Corrected display issue. Mar 04, 2021
Media added. Nov 18, 2015
Article thoroughly revised and updated. Nov 18, 2015
Add new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Northwest Passage. Aug 20, 2013
Clarified the timeline of Amundsen's navigation of the Northwest Passage. Jul 19, 2012
Map of the Northwest Passage added. Jul 19, 2012
Added new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Northwest Passage. Feb 19, 2009
Added new Web site: British Library - The search for the Northwest Passage. Feb 17, 2009
Added new Web site: All Things Arctic - The Northwest Passage. Feb 16, 2009
Added new Web site: Geology.com - Northwest Passage. Feb 15, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - History - Northwest Passage. Nov 11, 2008
Media added. May 20, 2008
Article revised. May 29, 2002
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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