I was reading the Wikipedia page of Spitsbergen and Svalbard and that made me think it would be a cool map for AoE III.
Especially if Denmark would be introduced in a next DLC.
The Dutch, English, French, Russian and the Danish (and later Norway as well) all went to the Arctic archipelago to hunt whales.
The Svalbard reindeer, polar bears and seals are on land possible food source.
Attempts to introduce the muskox has been tried but failed, however if needed that can also an additional option as a nod to that attempt.
Still the main food and gold source will in the water as the fish and whales. Like the historic reason to go to the islands.
Being so far north in the Arctic there are no trees, the main wood source could be driftwood, wood crates and shipwrecks along the coast and stuck in the ice.
How I envision the map is like a cut up pizza with a traderoute along the outer rim.
Alternative a neutral hourglass shape island could be in the middle.
I am unsure if the island need to be connected with ice at the points.
(I have no skills with the editor so I made the map in photoshop)