The Arctic in 300 words—told by over 200 voices

Mads Qvist Frederiksen is the Executive Director of the Arctic Economic Council.

What does the Arctic mean to you?

For many outside the region, it’s a place of snow, silence, and strategic significance. Too often, it is reduced to a backdrop for climate anxiety or geopolitical friction. But those of us who live and work here know the Arctic is far more dynamic. It is a place of thriving communities, creative economies, and deep cultural meaning.

That’s why the Arctic Economic Council created the Arctic Encyclopaedia—a collection of around 300 words, each defined by someone with a personal or professional connection to the North. These entries come from more than 200 people across 36 countries—some contributing once, others multiple times—demonstrating the powerful, plural nature of the Arctic story.

And that’s the core message: there is no single Arctic, and any attempt to capture it in one neat phrase or policy box does it a disservice. We’ve asked prime ministers and poets, youth leaders and engineers, Indigenous entrepreneurs and EU commissioners to each select a single word—any word—and reflect on what it means in the context of the Arctic.

The results are as varied as the region itself. Some wrote poems, others submitted academic texts. Some offered images, some short personal statements, and others full-page reflections. The limit we gave them was to describe the word in 350 words or less. The words themselves span from Adventure to Zoom, including Wind Turbines, Myth, Ocean, Ætt, and Ecosystem. The diversity of form and tone mirrors the diversity of voices—and this was entirely intentional.

We at the Arctic Economic Council have always advocated for transparency, inclusion, and balanced dialogue in Arctic development. That’s why we ensured a broad distribution of contributors: 25% academics, 25% artists, 25% business representatives, and 25% policymakers. Equally important was a strong focus on youth and Indigenous voices, not as symbolic additions but as central pillars of Arctic dialogue.

From Sápmi to South Korea, from Tromsø to Tokyo, this book brings the Arctic into focus for those near and far. It features prime ministers from Norway and Greece, U.S. senators from both parties, EU leaders, and royals—alongside photographers from Costa Rica, scientists from Indonesia, students from Nunavut, and entrepreneurs from Greenland.

This book is not only for those living in the Arctic—it’s for everyone. Whether you’re a researcher in Reykjavik or a policymaker in Brussels, a curious student in Jakarta or a CEO in Zurich, the Arctic plays a role in your future. And The Arctic Encyclopaedia shows just how many different ways there are to engage with the region.

We hope this book becomes a resource for educational institutions, discussion material for classrooms, reference for policymakers, and a conversation starter among families, boardrooms, and communities. It’s not meant to be read linearly—although you can. You can also open it at random and let a word surprise you.

Most importantly: the book is free to access online. We’ve also produced 300 limited-edition hardcover copies. If more funding becomes available, we hope to expand that number and distribute it more widely to Arctic libraries, schools, and cultural centres.

This project was made possible thanks to generous support from the European Union, the Nippon Foundation, and a private contribution from Frederik Paulsen. We are grateful for their commitment to dialogue, culture, and Arctic understanding.

At the Arctic Economic Council, we believe the Arctic cannot be reduced to a single definition. It is too big, too dynamic, and too important. But it can be better understood—when we listen to the many voices that call it home, or feel connected to its future.

This book is our invitation. Open it. Explore it. Share it.