![]() | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Arctic Ocean |
Coordinates | 78°00′N 20°00′E / 78.000°N 20.000°E |
Major islands | Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Edgeøya |
Area | 64,029 km2 (24,722 sq mi) |
Coastline | 3,587 km (2228.9 mi) |
Highest elevation | 1,713 m (5620 ft) |
Highest point | Newtontoppen |
Administration | |
Norway | |
Largest settlement | Longyearbyen (pop. 2060) |
Demographics | |
Population | 2600 (2007) |
Pop. density | 0.04/km2 (0.1/sq mi) |
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean roughly centered on 78° north latitude and 20° east longitude. It constitutes the northernmost territory of the Kingdom of Norway. The three main islands in the group consist of Spitsbergen (the largest island), Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. There are also a number of smaller islands, such as Barents Island (Barentsøya) (1,288 km2 (497 sq mi)), Kvitøya (682 km2 (263 sq mi)), Prins Karls Forland (English: Prince Charles Foreland) (615 km2 (237 sq mi)), Kongsøya (191 km2 (74 sq mi)), Bear Island (178 km2 (69 sq mi)), Svenskøya (137 km2 (53 sq mi)), Wilhelm Island (120 km2 (46 sq mi)) and other smaller islands or skerries (621 km2 (240 sq mi)).