Figure 4-2. — The Sector Principle — "regions of attraction" 



life under such trying conditions but to make it reasonably toler- 

 able and practical, was still unrealized. Under such circum- 

 stances, climate did prevent any occupation from being an effec- 

 tive one. The recent prodigious advances in science, medicine, 

 and aeronautics, however, now enable man to overcome the ob- 

 stacle of climate and extreme cold. Claims to sovereignty can no 

 longer be questioned solely on the ground that the occupation is 

 ineffective because of climate. 



As it became evident that in polar regions effective occupation 

 would be difficult to realize, and claims of sovereignty over polar 

 areas would thus remain inchoate, new theories were advanced 

 from time to time, in an effort to circumvent the occupational re- 

 quirement. One theory offered the substitute principle that sov- 

 ereignty ought to attach to littoral states according to the region 

 of attraction doctrine. This principle, known as the Sector Prin- 

 ciple, has been strongly advocated as a solution to the problem in 

 the north polar regions. According to this principle, the extreme 

 eastern and western meridians bounding the territory of countries 

 adjacent to the arctic circle are projected to the North Pole. 

 These pie-shaped segments are considered as belonging to the lit- 

 toral states as regions of attraction of such states. 



The man generally credited with having called attention to this 

 principle for the first time was P. Poirer, a Canadian Senator. In 



144 



