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Russia Stakes its Claim to the North Pole
There was a time when all a country needed to do to claim new land was to have an explorer plant a flag. But that was centuries ago... or was it?
Recently, Russia sent a submarine with a flag to the bottom of the largely unmapped Arctic Ocean. Its purpose? To claim the area for Russia! But why would anyone want to claim an ocean floor that lies 14,000 feet below the thick ice?
The seabed is called the Lomonosov Ridge. And there's a good chance that oil and other natural resources can be found there beneath the North Pole. Russia claims the area because it's part of the continental shelf that the country sits on.
But other countries argue against Russia's claim. Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the United States all want a part of it. Denmark sent its own scientists to the area to figure out to which continental shelf the Ridge belongs. But studies so far have been inconclusive.
No matter whom the ridge ends up belonging to, there's one thing for sure. The flag Russia put down there will be there for a loooong time! It's made from titanium and will never rust!
I'm Michelle and that's what happened in the world this week!
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