The Arctic Circle is commonly associated with the 66th parallel - a geographic ring crowning the globe. A broader definition includes the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia and the Russian Far East. A territory of immense beauty far removed from the industrial heartland of North America, Western Europe, and East Asia, it is also rich in mineral and other natural resources. As such, it has long been a prime target for economic development by multinational corporations and government policy-makers - as well as a prime focus for protection by environmentalists and wildlife conservationists. Cruise far north; perhaps cross the Arctic Circle. Whale sightings may include grays, minkes, humpbacks, and bowheads.