Before revision: upright=1.4|Map drawn in 1601 by Theodore de Bry to describe the ill-fated third voyage of the Dutch explorer William Barentsz in search of the Northeast Passage The western parts of the passage were explored by northern European countries such as England, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway, looking for an alternative seaway to China and India .
After revision: ; had it proved practicable, such a seaway would have had enormous economic and military importanceupright=1.4|Map drawn in 1601 by Theodore de Bry to describe the ill-fated third voyage of the Dutch explorer William Barentsz in search of the Northeast Passage The western parts of the passage were explored by northern European countries such as England, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway, looking for an alternative seaway to China and India .