Svalbard

From Wikinfo

Svalbard is a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean; ranging from 74° to 81° North, and 10° to 34° East, it is the northernmost part of Norway. The islands cover an area of 62,050 km2. The largest islands are Spitsbergen (39,000 km2), Nordaustlandet (14,600 km2) and Edge�ya (5,000 km2).

The population is approximately 2,400, and Svalbard is administered by an appointed governor, sysselmannen, whose office is in the town of Longyearbyen.

Svalbard may have been discovered as early as the 12th century, but the first indisputable discovery of Svalbard was by the Dutchman Willem Barents in 1596. The islands served as an international whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were also the headquarters for many Arctic explorations. Norwegian sovereignty was recognized in 1920, in which year the area was demilitarized by treaty. Norway took over administration of Svalbard in 1925.

Large parts of Svalbard are glaciated. Indeed, the name 'Svalbard' means 'cold coast'. However, the North Atlantic Current moderates the Arctic climate, keeping the surrounding waters open and navigable most of the year. The major economic activity is coal mining, supplemented by fishing and trapping. Norway claims an exclusive fishing zone of 200 nautical miles, which is not recognized by Russia.

Svalbard is also the breeding ground of the barnacle goose and a variety of other birds; they are best seen from cruise ships.

There are no roads between the settlements on the island; transportation is by boat, plane, and helicopter.

(Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.) In Philip Pullman's book The Northern Lights / The Golden Compass, the first of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Svalbard is the location of the incarceration of the fictional character Lord Asriel. Lord Asriel builds a bridge from Svalbard to Citt�gazze through the Aurora borealis.

Contents 1 Settlements 2 See also 3 External links 3.1 References

Settlements

• Barentsburg (Russian)
• [[Bj�rn�ya]]
• Isfjord radio
• Longyearbyen
• [[Ny-�lesund]]
• Pyramiden (Russian, abandoned)
• Svea

See also

• Government of Svalbard
• Geography of Svalbard

External links

• CIA world factbook on Svalbard
• includes images of Svalbard
• Svalbard - A Polar Experience
• Svalbard, The land with gold coasts
• The Svalbardsyk Homepage

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Svalbard" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard, used under the GNU Free Documentation License