Russia has submitted an official request to the United Nations to extend its continental shelf by 1.2 million square kilometers towards the Arctic. The Russians support their claims based on scientific studies carried out over the past years.

The Arctic is believed to have vast amounts of resources in natural gas and oil and is an area of contention bgetween the Russians and the USA among others.

Moscow has asked for its land rights to be recognized over the vast area from 2001 but the UN rejected it for lack of scientific evidence. Russia estimates that the untapped natural resources in the Arctic could be worth 30 trillion US dollars. Other countries with sea borders on the Arctic circle are the USA, Denmark, Canada and Norway, who could also submit similar requests to the UN.