Otto Neumann Sverdrup
Sverdrup, Otto Neumann
Otto Neumann Sverdrup, arctic explorer (b at Bindal, Norway 31 Oct 1854; d at Oslo 26 Nov 1930). An experienced sailor and outdoorsman, he was introduced to arctic travel by Fridtjof Nansen, who invited him in 1888 to ski across Greenland's interior. From 1893 to 1896 Sverdrup was captain of Nansen's ship Fram when it made its celebrated drift across the top of the world. Sverdrup is known chiefly for his expedition to the ELLESMERE I area between 1898 and 1902. During 4 winters in the ice he discovered several islands W of Ellesmere and mapped large portions of the High Arctic. Eventually Canada claimed this territory and purchased Sverdrup's maps.
Arctic Exploration, Map
Author DANIEL FRANCIS
Links to Other Sites
Otto Sverdrup
Canada Post pays tribute to Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup, who charted some 260,000 square kilometres of the Canadian Arctic.
The Muskox Patrol: High Arctic Sovereignty Revisited
A 2003 article about the role of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the Canadian government’s quest to secure international recognition of its claims to sovereignty over the High Arctic islands. Includes photos of the ship “Beothic,” the Dundas Harbour RCMP Detachment, and more. From the Arctic Institute of North America.
Frozen Ocean
A superb online exhibit about the search for the Northwest Passage. Historic maps and images from books show how the Inuit assisted foreign led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and how European explorers gradually accepted Inuit techniques of travel and survival. Contemporary maps show the lasting achievement of the expeditions: the mapping of the Canadian Arctic. From the Toronto Public Library.
The Dominion government's advertisement asked for volunteers "able to read and write either the English or French language" with "good antecedents" who were good horsemen...
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