Svalbard

Svalbard
Flag Coat of arms
Capital and largest city	Longyearbyen
Official languages	Norwegian
Ethnic groups	72% Norwegian 16% Russian
Government	Region of Norway
• Governor	Odd Olsen Ingerø (2009–)
Area
• Total	61,022 km2 (23,561 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate	2,530[1]
Currency	Norwegian krone (NOK)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	+47
Internet TLD	.no a
.sj allocated but not used.[2]

Svalbard is a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean. It is the most northern part of Norway. It is about halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Spitsbergen is the largest island, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The islands are governed by the Governor of Svalbard. The government is located at Longyearbyen. Other settlements include research outposts, the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research community of Ny-Ålesund and the mining outpost of Sveagruva.

The islands were first used as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries. After this, they were abandoned. Coal mining started at the beginning of the 20th century, and several permanent villages were built. The Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 states that Norway is in control of Svalbard. The 1925 Svalbard Act made Svalbard part of Norway. These treaties also set out rules that economic activities could be done freely and that no military activities can take place. There are only two mining companies, one Norwegian and one Russian. Research and tourism are important industries. There are no roads to connect the settlements. Instead, snowmobiles, aircraft and boats serve as transport. Svalbard Airport in Longyearbyen is the main airport.

In summer, the plants grow quickly (one plant every 25-78 days) during the midnight sun. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds. There are also polar bears, reindeer, and mammals that live in the sea. Seven national parks and 23 nature reserves cover two-thirds of Svalbard. This protects the fragile natural environment. Sixty percent of land is covered by glaciers, and the islands have many mountains and fjords.

Economy: coal mining is still being done in one mine (as of 2022).^[3]

1. ↑ "Population of Svalbard". Statistics Norway. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020. Table 2: Population in the settlements. Svalbard
2. ↑ "The .bv and .sj top level domains". Norid. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
3. ↑ https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/ALM8mr/vil-utsette-stengingen-av-norges-siste-kullgruve?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vg.no. E24.no. Retrieved April 3, 2022