Gaps remain, notably under the permanent ice near the pole.

But they are likely to be filled in soon as deadlines loom for nations disputing the sovereignty of the region's waters to complete surveying in order to finalize their claims to overlapping parcels of the Arctic seabed.

Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States -- countries that border the Arctic Ocean -- have stepped up Arctic surveying to bolster claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The UN treaty stipulates that any coastal state can claim territory 350 nautical miles from their shoreline and exploit the natural resources within that zone.

However, nations must provide scientific proof of the natural extension of continental plates.

"Our atlas shows that the Lomonosov Ridge under the North Pole where Russia planted an undersea flag last year is actually part of the North American plate," said St-Onge.

"It was once part of the Bering Sea platform which in part belongs to Russia, but it separated 61 million years ago and has since moved 900 kilometers (560 miles)," he said.

"More detailed surveying of that area is required, of course, but it looks like it's Canadian."

Interest in the economic exploitation of the Arctic has snowballed in recent years as melting ice floes have increased access to the region.