The heating Arctic has become a key issue in global politics. While Canada, China, Russia, and the United States increasingly send icebreakers, submarines, and other vessels to the Arctic, the ice itself continues to recede. Trade routes that kings and explorers have sought after for centuries are opening for the first time in human history, offering greater opportunities for human traffic, cultural exchange, science, the extraction of resources, and the transfer of goods from Asia to North America and Europe. With more Arctic land mass than any other country apart from Russia, Canada is a major player in the region, eagerly defending its sovereignty over its vast Arctic Archipelago.