About 80 million acres on the mainland of the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and over 40 million acres on the Arctic islands, are under oil and gas exploration permit. Exploration permits were issued in the Arctic islands for the first time in June 1960, following promulgation in April of new Canada Oil and Gas Regulations for federal government lands. The issue of these permits extended the northern oil and gas search from the Alberta and British Columbia borders, in lat. 60° N., northward to the Arctic islands; in terms of land area this is one of the most widespread oil and gas searches in the world. The Arctic islands exploration also holds particular interest since it is the farthest north oil and gas exploration ever carried out.