Search for the North-West Passage
For over 300 years explorers risked their lives to search the Arctic for a North-West Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific, hoping to establish a lucrative trading route between Europe and Asia.
Although some did find ways through, as a route for commercial shipping the Passage has remained a pipe-dream – until news in 2007 that a summer thaw had opened up the Passage.
Use these pages to find out more about the fabled North-West Passage, its intrepid discoverers and its debatable future.