expeditions were working in Iceland and Green- land. In 1888 Fridtjof Nansen marched over the Greenland ice on ski and with sledges. He was the first to carry out this splendid ski-ing feat — in more recent years other Norwegians have crossed Greenland by ski. In 1893-96 Nansen made his famous expedition in the Fram. His object was to drift with the ice across the Pole; but as the current did not bring him near the Pole Nansen with his companion Johansen attempted to march on ski from the ship to the Pole. They were, however, obliged to abandon the attempt after reaching 86°14’ N. This was the highest latitude ever reached by man. In 1898-1902 Captain Otto Sverdrup led the second Fram expedition to the polar regions west of Greenland. He discovered and surveyed vast areas of new land, so that the expedition was of considerable geographical importance. The polar regions of North America were also the object of Roald Amundsen’s first expedition in the Gjga in 1903-1906. On that occasion Amundsen deter- mined the exact position of the north magnetic pole, and discovered and completed the North- West Passage — the first and only navigator to achieve this exploit. Norwegian whalers and explorers took up work also in the Antarctic. As early as 1893 Norwegian whalers (C. A. Larsen) penetrated farther south in the Graham Land area than anyone had done before. In 1895 Norwegian whalers attained 197