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Svalbard
Europe:: Svalbard
(territory of Norway)
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Background:
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First discovered by the Norwegians
in the 12th century, the islands served as an international whaling base
during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized
in 1920; five years later it officially took over the territory.
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Location:
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Northern Europe, islands between
the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north
of Norway
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Geographic coordinates:
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78 00 N, 20 00 E
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 62,045
sq km
24
land:
62,045 sq km
water:
0 sq km
note:
includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than
West Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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3,587 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 4
nm
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not
recognized by Russia
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Climate:
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Current Weather
arctic, tempered by warm
North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic
Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water
open and navigable most of the year
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Terrain:
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wild, rugged mountains;
much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of
the year; fjords along west and north coasts
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Arctic
Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Newtontoppen 1,717 m
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, copper,
zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops:
0%
other:
100% (no trees; the only bushes are crowberry and
cloudberry) (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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ice floes often block the
entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west
coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible
to maritime traffic
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Geography - note:
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northernmost part of the
Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and
snowfields cover 60% of the total area; Spitsbergen Island is the site
of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a seed repository established by the
Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Norwegian Government
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Population:
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2,067 (July 2010 est.)
31
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: NA
15-64 years:
NA
65 years and over:
NA (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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-0.023% (2010 est.)
01
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Birth rate:
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NA
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Death rate:
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NA
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Net migration rate:
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NA
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Sex ratio:
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NA
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: NA
male:
NA
female:
NA
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: NA
male:
NA
female:
NA
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Total fertility rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0% (2001)
0
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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0 (2001)
65
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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0 (2001)
56
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Ethnic groups:
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Norwegian 55.4%, Russian
and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998)
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Languages:
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Norwegian, Russian
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Literacy:
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NA
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen)
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Dependency status:
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territory of Norway;
administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through
a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by
treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway
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Government type:
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NA
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Capital:
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name: Longyearbyen
geographic coordinates:
78 13 N, 15 33 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
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Independence:
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none (territory of
Norway)
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Legal system:
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the laws of Norway where
applicable apply
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: King
HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
head of government:
Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since September 2009);
Assistant Governor Lars FAUSE (since September 2008)
elections:
none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor and
assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry
of Justice
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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none
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Flag description:
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the flag of Norway is
used
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Economy - overview:
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Coal mining is the major economic
activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gave the 41
signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to
Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies
have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian
and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns.
The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the
Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and
provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some hunting
of seal, reindeer, and fox.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$NA
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA%
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Labor force:
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1,234 in Norwegian
settlements (2003)
25
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Budget:
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revenues: $25.07
million
expenditures:
$NA (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$197.6 million (2000)
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Imports:
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$NA
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Exchange rates:
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Norwegian kroner (NOK)
per US dollar - 6.3988 (2009), 5.6361 (2008), 5.86 (2007), 6.418 (2006),
6.445 (2005)
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| Communications
::Svalbard |
Telephones - main lines in use:
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NA
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: probably
adequate
domestic:
local telephone service
international:
country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1
of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2
repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)
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Television
broadcast stations:
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NA
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Internet country code:
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.sj
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| Transportation
::Svalbard |
Airports:
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4 (2009)
86
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m:
1 (2009)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 3
under 914 m:
3 (2009)
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Heliports:
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1 (2009)
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Ports and terminals:
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Barentsburg,
Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden
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Military branches:
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no regular military forces
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Military - note:
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Svalbard is a territory
of Norway, demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920; Norwegian
military activity is limited to fisheries surveillance by the Norwegian
Coast Guard
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| Transnational Issues
::Svalbard |
Disputes - international:
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despite recent discussions, Russia
and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's
fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard
Treaty zone
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