Russia claims Arctic

The Russian government says it has provided “ample scientific data” to the U.N. to support its right to claim over 460,000 square miles of Arctic ocean including the North Pole. This is believed to include a large amount of energy, gems and precious metals. Foreign Ministry:

To justify Russia’s rights in this area, ample scientific data collected during many years of Arctic research has been used.

The area Russia claims includes the Lomonosov Ridge, the Mendeleyev-Alpha Rise and the Chukchi Plateau, along with the Podvodnikov and Chukchi basins between the three sections. Russia expects the U.N. to begin discussing its claim in the fall but a U.N. spokesman says the commisions isn’t likely to gather fully until early next year. Until then they will review the submitted materials which include charts, maps and research data.