The Polar Silk Road

China’s vision of the Polar Silk Road refers to Arctic shipping routes that connect major economic centres via the Arctic Circle.
  • China’s vision of the Polar Silk Road refers to Arctic shipping routes that connect major economic centres via the Arctic Circle.
  • Map: Arto Vitikka, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland.
  • Sea ice extent, September 2025: NSIDC, Multisensor Analyzed Sea Ice Extent – Northern Hemisphere
  • Border data: Runfola, D. et al. (2020) geoBoundaries: A global database of political administrative boundaries. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231866. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231866e.
  • You may use the map freely provided that the source is mentioned.
  • Map is done with QGIS software.
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Last updated: 11.2.2026