Arctic Council Arctic Council The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic. Eight member countries constitute the council: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States as these are the eight countries with sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle. Outside these, there are some observer states. The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when the eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). The 1996 Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council as a forum for
Nettilling Lake calving. Nettilling Lake is the eleventh largest in Canada, being one of the largest lakes entirely within Canada. Nettilling Lake Nettilling Lake [nech'iling] is a cold freshwater lake located toward the south end of Baffin Island in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is also the world's largest lake on an island, with an area of and a maximum length of . The lake is in the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak about 280 km northwest of Iqaluit. The Arctic Circle crosses the lake. The lake's name is of Inuktitut origin, coming from the word for the adult ringed seal (netsilak).