The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum established in 1996. Its primary mandate is to promote cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states on common Arctic issues, particularly those concerning sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic region.
The Council comprises eight member states, all of which are countries with territory in the Arctic. These members are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. From the given list, Denmark (1), the Russian Federation (3), and the United States of America (5) are full members of the Arctic Council.
Japan (2) and the United Kingdom (4) are not full member states of the Arctic Council. Both countries hold observer status, along with several other non-Arctic states such as China, Germany, France, and India. Observer status allows these countries to participate in Council meetings and contribute to its work, but without voting rights.