Northwest Passage

The melting ice in the Arctic has allowed for the potential navigation during the summer months, of two shipping routes formerly impassable; the Northwest Passage, which runs through northern Canada and the Northern Sea route, north of the Russian mainland. (Anderson, A., 2009). The potential use of these routes would mean that goods would no longer have to travel through the Suez or Panama canals, shortening the distance by thousands of miles. (Anderson 2009). In fact, it is estimated that using the Northwest Passage would save two weeks of travel time vs. the Panama Canal The International Maritime Organization, has written what is known as the Polar Code, making it mandatory under various international conventions for ships operating in the Arctic to obtain a Polar Ship Certificate. However, I am uncertain how this organization intends to ensure compliance with its requirements. I believe they are requiring all vessels to be equipped with some type of device so they can be monitored via satellite. (IMO, 2018)…

in the area. The attention the Arctic receives has circulated for many years, and recently it has increased because of the declining ice mass in the Arctic, freeing up the Northwest Passage. The scramble for claim has made Russia, The Faroe…

Northwest Passage written and illustrated by Matthew James includes the lyrics to Stan Rogers’ well-known Canadian folk song Northwest Passage. The book tells a story about European exploration of the Northwest Passage, more specifically the voyage lead by John Franklin. The text serves its purpose very well to bring attention to an interesting part of Canadian history that now has a new significance in today’s world due to global warming. Not only does this text serve its purpose exceptionally…

Throughout history, the search for the Northwest Passage brought many explorers to the Canadian Arctic. The English seaman, Martin Frobisher, was the first explorer to make this journey. In 1576, he arrived on Baffin Island, part of the modern day territory of Nunavut. After arriving in the arctic, he made contact with a group of Inuit. Due to their isolation, this is one of the first contacts the Inuit had made with outsiders. Of course, as word of the Northwest Passage spread, a large number…

westward expansion and nature; making the exemplary American a man of the frontier. The United States was no longer content with its success of the American Revolution, and sought to expand its country. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from the French for merely pennies per acre. The Louisiana Purchase was the start of romanticism because it enabled settlers to explore the untamed west. The new western frontier transcended Americans towards embracing nature and began the…

The first was Giovanni de Verrazano. He was commissioned in 1524 to discover a Northwest passage through North America to India. Not far behind him was Jaques Cartier who explored the St. Lawrence river as far as present-day Montreal. Jean Ribault headed an expedition that explored the St. Johns river area in Florida. France’s last explorer was Samuel de Champlain. He built a fort in Quebec and explored the area north to Port Royal, Nova Scotia, and to south Cape Cod. All the explorations France…

Scientists say that 32% of the ice has melted since 1960, and if this trend continues, there will be a period of time in the year where there is no ice in the passage. Shipping companies will be able to use this to their advantage, and ships that are too big to fit through smaller canals can cut 1000s of kilometers off of their journey. This will not only save valuable time for commercial shippers, but also money considering they will not need as much fuel to complete their journey. By having a…

Hofstadter 18-21 Richard Hakluyt “Discourse of the Western Planting” The passage depicts the arguments that Richard Hakluyt makes to convince the Queen of England to support Sir Walter Raleigh's and Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s colonization efforts. Through the passage, Hakluyt brings up the religion, economy, and power. He stresses that the colonies can be used as tools to convert Indians to Christianity, which has now been reformed due to the Protestant Reformation. Hakluyt also states that…

James Cook: Captain James Cook was an English explorer in the 1700s who was in search of the “Southern Continent” which he didn’t believe really existed. He went on three big expeditions; the first was from 1768 to 1771, when he sailed from Plymouth, England to Brazil, around Cape Horn, Africa, and to Tahiti where he stayed for a while, then to New Zealand, Australia, and Java to prove they weren’t part of a larger southern continent. His second expedition took him to Antarctica and many of…

Amerigo Vespucci, Jacques Cartier, and Henry Hudson are only a few examples of European white men who helped to shape the US as we know it today. These men not only helped found America, but they brought their country’s cultures along with them. Vespucci traveled from Spain, along with supplies to find new trade routes which would hopefully make waterways around North America. Cartier, on the other hand, was from France, he explored mostly to look for gold, silver, copper and spices. He wasn’t,…