Photo Gallery Destination North Pole
Russian Territory. At the beginning of August, a Russian submarine rammed a flag into the floor of the Arctic Ocean, four kilometers below the North Pole.
The Russians were attempting to prove that the North Pole is geologically part of the Russian mainland. Should they succeed, vast natural resources could be theirs.
It may look like just ice, snow and water. But it is thought that up to a quarter of all oil and gas reserves are to be found under the Arctic Ocean -- more than in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to natural resources, melting ice means new shipping lanes. Control over those shipping lanes could be crucial -- and profitable -- in the future.
Oil barrels in Greenland. Soon after the Russian Arctic expedition, Denmark likewise sent geologists to the North Pole to prove that the crucial Lomonosov Ridge, located on the floor of the Arctic Ocean, belongs to the Greenland continental shelf. Greenland belongs to Denmark.
Helge Sander, Denmark's minister of science, technology and innovation, is interested in proving that the Arctic Ocean floor belongs to tiny Denmark.
The Russian nuclear icebreaker heads back to port after successfully sending a submarine down to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean.
Russian adventurer and Duma deputy Artur Chilingarov flanked by his team after returning from the dramatic mission to the floor of the Arctic Ocean.
