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
Wakamiya Inari Shrine Wakamiya Inari Shrine Wakamiya Inari Shrine at Waipahu Cultural Garden in Waipahu, Hawaii, is the last surviving example of Inari Shrine architecture on Oahu. Unlike most Shinto shrines, which are unpainted, those dedicated to the fox deity Inari, the god of the harvest, are painted bright red. This shrine thus represents not just the religious heritage of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii, but also their principal early roles as agricultural laborers on sugarcane and pineapple plantations. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on 8 January 1980. The simple wood frame building measures 19 by 26 feet, with