Do people know anything about the geography of the top of the world?

The Arctic Ocean is the most enclosed ocean on the world. Only 7 or 8 nations border it, Russia and Canada constituting say 80% of that territory.

The Arctic Ocean is a U-shaped area that opens up to the North Atlantic Ocean. And therefore a collection of Northern European nations (and Austria as the Hapsburg Empire of old), such as Denmark, like we see in her claim to Greenland.

Another nation that’s a Danish off-shoot is Iceland, which we ignore pretty much but for her frequent eruptions because is sits on a geologically active plate boundary.

Wikipedia defines Arctic Circle astronomically: “The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude [66 degrees North] for which at the December solstice (winter) the Sun does not rise and at the June solstice (summer) the Sun does not set. These phenomena are referred to as polar night and midnight sun, respectively….” SEE MAP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Circle

The great mass of Greenland makes it into the Arctic Circle. But Iceland is merely quite close to it. Only the island to the North, Svalbard, is entirely in the Arctic Circle. And has long been a part of Norway.

Very few of us are probably aware of those one or two dozen (??) critical infrastructure nodes of various kinds, as described for those satellite services. Selected grid power substations, limited large scale transformer replacements if a natural or enemy EMP event happens, etc.
There are probably an even greater number of regulations and rules that create such high risk nodes, vs. the existing limits of physical or environmental conditions.

In 2022, some North Atlantic and Arctic power like Russia, began cutting the undersea cables going out of Svalbard Island — cables among the world’s fastest — linking our space satellites to Svalbard Island and our ground stations on land far away.

SvalSat (or Svalbard Satellite Station) is operated by a Norwegian contractor. But who cares?

Together with one station in the Antarctic, this is “the only ground station that can see a low altitude polar orbiting satellite on every revolution as the Earth rotates.” These orbits are short, roughly 90 minutes. And in any missile conflict, that’s an eternity. And these satellites are our most valuable eyes in the sky for defense.

SvalSat “provides ground services to more satellites than any other facility in the world.” The station operates over 100 multi-channel antennas on this remote Arctic Island. (Wiki)

Its customers are a who’s who of international space satellite using organizations.
“Customers with their own installations include the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,” among others.

Now, given that a foreign power wants to cut the US and Europe off from this satellite window on the world, what is the backup plan?

Enter, Greenland. That’s the backup plan. And President Trump is on it.
(HT to Dr. Pippa Malmgren, economist and author of “Geopolitics For Investors,” and White House Advisor. Via Konstantin Kisen interview on YT.)

That’s very cool!
😀

I’m glad to meet another fan of, “Ballet Shoes”. 😀

Have a good day,

TR

I’m pretty sure he is on wires at a few points, but I can’t find confirmation online. Some of the falls and recoveries seem impossible, even for Burt the Chimney Sweep.

I loved the “Shoes” books as a child. Theater Shoes was another. Read them many times way back when.

Have you read the children’s novel, “Ballet Shoes” by Noel Streatfeild?

It was written in the 1930s, + it is a favorite of my family.

It’s about three sisters who: have adventures, and some of them want to dance ballet, and
to become professional performers.

I just think it is a novel that you might enjoy. 😀

Cheers,

TR