(Newser)
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A Danish expedition is set to head for the Arctic tomorrow, joining the scramble to claim polar territories. A team of 40 scientists and massive icebreakers are heading north to prove that a 2,000-kilometer underwater mountain range stretching to the pole is an extension of Greenland, and accordingly belongs to Denmark. But Canada and Russia are also calling dibs on the ridge and its untapped resources.
The expedition will be collecting data for a possible sovereignty demand, the Toronto Star reports, but it'll be up to the United Nations to decide whether Denmark owns the territory, based on a 1982 treaty. In the meantime, Russia planted a national flag in polar ice two weeks ago, and Canadian PM Stephen Harper wrapped up a three-day Arctic tour yesterday.
