Long description

An old map of the Arctic regions showing the route taken by the Fram as it drifted through the Arctic. The map is a cropped stereographic projection of the Arctic with the North Pole in the upper left quadrant. The Arctic Ocean is coloured white which represents the sea ice. On the right of the map is the coast of Norway and Russia. From the coast of Norway there is a solid red line showing the route of the Fram on its voyage through the Arctic. From Norway, dated 21 July 1893, the ship sailed close to the coast of Russia to about 135° E where Fram was frozen into the ice on 22 September 1893 and started its drift across the Arctic Basin and towards the North Pole. On 14 March 1895 there is a dashed line which leaves the ship and represents the path of Nansen and Johansen. Fram continues across the Arctic in the Transpolar Drift Stream until it reaches Svalbard on 13 August 1896, and finally returns to Norway on 20 August 1896. Nansen and Johansen attempted to reach the pole before turning back from their pole attempt on 9 April 1895 and then headed south to spend the winter of 1895-96 at Franz Joseph Land, before returning to Norway on 13 August 1896.