Governance & Arctic Organizations
The Arctic region, with its pristine landscapes and abundant resources, is an area of opportunities and threats! The region is increasingly capturing the world's attention due to the effects of climate change, the societies, the environment, and its economic importance and potential.
To effectively manage this remote and environmentally sensitive area, a complex web of governance structures and organizations has evolved, each playing a crucial role in shaping the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Council is the leading one; the intergovernmental forum promotes cooperation, coordination, and interaction amongst the Arctic States and its inhabitants. Various other organizations play a vital role in governing in the Arctic.
Arctic governance, as depicted in our informative maps and our governance section, presents a complex tapestry of international agreements and cooperation mechanisms aimed at addressing the unique challenges of this polar region. The maps visually highlight the roles and responsibilities of key organizations, such as the Arctic Council, IMO´s International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC)
The maps are often provided in various combinations of information and data, both in this section and other sections (for instance Arctic Summer Sea Ice extent and “Arctic definitions”).
A wide selection of our maps is available for viewing, subject to our specified conditions, and can also be purchased for direct download and can then be used for open publication on the condition that the source Arctic Portal is cited.
For any further information, if you need maps with different data-set combinations than currently available on our website, or need an even higher resolution or different definition, please contact info at arcticportal.org.
This map shows the Arctic States that have territory within the Arctic Circle. These states include Canada, Denmark (via Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (via Alaska).
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: March 2024
This map shows the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries. At present, NATO has 32 member countries called NATO Allies, they are sovereign states that come together to discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: March 2024
This map shows the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) and the Barents Regional Council (BRC) members and observers.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (IMO - Polar Code) and Search and Rescue (SAR) delimitation in the Northern Circumpolar Region.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (IMO - Polar Code).
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) convention and regulatory areas. Managing Fisheries in the North East Atlantic. It also shows the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) convention and regulatory areas. Managing Fisheries in the North East Atlantic.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (IMO - Polar Code). It also shows Sea Ice extent for February and September 2022.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: September 2023
This map shows the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the Arctic with colored zones.
© Arctic Portal 2006-2024
Last updated: August 2023
Disclaimer and information on use and purchase
The maps are free for use in outreach and educational presentations and free publications in the resolution and format provided above as long as its origin, ArcticPortal.org, is clearly accounted for.
The maps are all available in higher resolution for purchase via the download bottom.
Any commercial use of our free maps, which includes and/or not limited to presentations or publication in reports, books, online media or commercial applications is NOT permitted. For any commercial use the maps are available for purchase via the download option. For other use, special requests or modifications please contact . Any third party amendments, copying or resale of the Arctic Portal maps, is not permitted without a written agreement with the Arctic Portal.
Please note that cartographic material, as our maps, is covered under the international "Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works". The agreement covers derivative works as well.
Purchasing instructions
For purchasing commercial use and/or the higher resolution of maps please follow the Buy Map link which also indicates the price. You will be directed to a secure payment form at Rapyd, registered to the Arctic Foundation, the official operator of the ArcticPortal.org. After payment a zip folder with the purchased map will be downloaded to your browser and you will receive an invoice to your email address provided in the registration form or simply email . To locate your zip file, open the downloads directory for the browser that you used to perform the payment. If you have any problems with this process please contact
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Arctic Portal.org - 2024 © All rights reserved.
When quoting, reusing or copying any material on the arcticportal.org or any of its sub-sites including but not limiting to: information, news, articles, data, maps or images, in part or in full, a citation stating the origin and a hyperlink to www.arcticportal.org is required.