Strategic Importance of the Arctic Frontier. Persuasive map. Greenland 1948
SKU: P-7-028111
'Strategic Importance of the Arctic Frontier'
A colour newsprint persuasive map, published in Philadelphia in 1948, illustrating the Arctic as the central strategic theatre linking North America, Europe, and the Soviet Union, viewed from a polar projection. Emphasising air distances, flight paths, and proximity between Alaska, Greenland, the USSR, and northern Europe, the map presents the Arctic not as a remote periphery but as the shortest and most vulnerable route between rival powers. Produced at the dawn of the Cold War, it reflects contemporary American anxieties about Soviet long-range aviation and missile capabilities, and promotes Alaska, Canada, and Greenland as critical components of a northern defensive arc. Originally published to shape public understanding of U.S. strategic geography, the map belongs to a broader tradition of mid-20th-century cartographic persuasion, using projection, scale, and selective emphasis to reframe geopolitical realities. At the time of writing, the map has renewed topical resonance in light of Donald Trump’s repeated assertions of U.S. strategic interest in Greenland, which echo the same Cold War logic underpinning this image: control of the Arctic as essential to North American security, early warning systems, and transatlantic defence. Seen today, the map underscores the persistence of Arctic geopolitics and the enduring strategic importance of Greenland within American security thinking.
Size 34 x 27 cm | 13.5 x 10.5 inches
Date Published: April 15th 1948
Type: Vintage colour newsprint persuasive map
Author: Streckfuss
Publication: Two Worlds Atlas
Condition: Good |
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