This map presents NATO from an Arctic and North Atlantic perspective, reflecting the geographic reality that Europe and North America are linked around the high north rather than across a flat ocean. By adopting a polar-centred view, it highlights the enduring importance of the North Atlantic, Greenland–Iceland–UK approaches, and the Arctic in shaping alliance cohesion, reinforcement, and deterrence.

In the post–Cold War era, this geography continues to frame NATO's security environment, even as political priorities and threat perceptions evolve.