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The North on the Net - an Introduction
by Murray LundbergJuly 31, 1998Far into history, the North has had a special identity, although not always an accurately-portrayed one. Spurred by tales of the Vikings, and later by reports from Arctic explorers, the image conjured up has often been one of unending wastelands inhabited by dangerous animals and primitive people. Due to the difficulties of communication, Northern people have not generally had the opportunity to try to correct those misconceptions about their homelands until very recently - although trading and social networks were established over vast distances, there has been minimal contact with "the Outside."
Around the globe, wireless and satellite communications have dramatically transformed the way we relate to each other, and nowhere is that more pronounced than in the Arctic and subarctic regions. Not only are we able to communicate more effectively with each other, the truth about life in the North is more easily disseminated. In particular, the Internet allows the transfer of information in ways and quantities undreamt of by most people even 10 years ago. This two-way exchange of information between the North and the Outside is to the benefit of both groups, and a massive effort has been made among all of the circumpolar nations to see that even their most remote villages have digital access to the rest of the world.
Cooperation among northern nations is not a new concept - far back into time, trading routes existed between Siberia and North America. During early European exploration, though, competition limited the number of multi-national ventures, and the Cold War presented a new set of problems. The 1990s was the dawn of a new age of cooperation - a major step in the identification of the North as a distinct entity was made in September 1996, with the formation of the Arctic Council. The members of the Council are the 8 nations which have sovereignty over some Arctic territory - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. The Council is initially coordinating environmental monitoring, conservation programs, and disaster/emergency response programs among the member states.
Despite the fact that various organizations have defined the boundaries of the North as it suits their particular needs, though, it really isn't a firm geographic region. It can't even be defined by culture, language, climate or topography. Since we have to set some parameters for the type of material that will be presented on this Web site, we've chosen 60° North latitude as the cut-off point. In certain specific cases, places south of 60° such as the Orkney Islands will fit the definition (their role as a major outfitting base for early Arctic exploration and whaling ships, for example), and some cities north of 60°, such as Anchorage, don't fit the definition in any major way.
To quote from Greenpeace, the Arctic is "a biologically and culturally unique environment and one of the last places on Earth where natural conditions still prevail over much of the region." Because of that relatively undisturbed environment, the North has become the base for literally thousands of projects whose results may affect policy-makers around the world. These range from measuring the effects of global warming on its residents, to experiments in cultural education.
Now anyone in the world with an Internet connection can study scores of these projects, keep up with the latest news in remote regions, or browse through any of thousands of other subjects relating to this once unknown world. I hope to make this massive amount of information more easily accessible to you - if you have any comments or suggestions as to how I can improve this site, please drop me a line any time.
