Who does Spitsbergen belong to?
Norway
Spitsbergen, formerly West Spitsbergen (Vestspitsbergen), largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, part of Norway, in the Arctic Ocean. Spitsbergen, with an area of 15,075 square miles (39,044 square km), is approximately 280 miles (450 km) long and ranges from 25 to 140 miles (40 to 225 km) wide.
Who owns Spitsbergen island?
The Spitsbergen Treaty granted Norway sovereignty over Spitsbergen as of 1920, but anyone who is a citizen of the more than 40 signatory nations has the legal right to settle within Spitsbergen.
Does Svalbard belong to Russia?
However, as Svalbard is under Norwegian sovereignty, the Russian government is represented in Barentsburg by a consulate. This is the northernmost diplomatic mission of any kind in the world. Consequently, the town has a Norwegian postcode, 9178.
Is Svalbard and Spitsbergen the same place?
West Spitsbergen was the original name of Svalbard’s biggest island, and the word literally means ‘rugged mountain peaks’. The island is today called Spitsbergen and that is the island on which both Longyearbyen and the Russian settlement Barentsburg are located.
Is Svalbard A archipelago?
listen)), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude.
Does Svalbard have a police force?
Svalbard is its own police district. The Governor has the same authority as a chief of police on the Norwegian mainland. This includes prosecuting authority in Svalbard. The police in Svalbard have the same responsibilities as the Norwegian Police Service on the mainland.
Who owns Barentsburg?
Arktikugol
The new owner was a Russian company, which was soon turned into the state-owned Trust Arktikugol. This is the owner which still owns and runs Barentsburg and the other Russian properties in Spitsbergen today. The Russians continued mining in Barentsburg in the 1930s, but the Second World War put a serious stopper.
Who owns Svalbard island?
of Norway
The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 established full Norwegian sovereignty over the archipelago. The islands are, unlike the Norwegian Antarctic Territory, a part of the Kingdom of Norway and not a dependency.
Can I live on Jan Mayen?
It is a territory of Norway, and has no native population. The eighteen people who currently live there operate the weather station, LORAN-C transmitter, and coastal radio station. Their base is called Olonkin City, which is located on the southwest coast.
Is Spitsbergen the largest island in Norway?
Constituting the westernmost bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea, and the Greenland Sea. Spitsbergen covers an area of 37,673 km 2 (14,546 sq mi), making it the largest island in Norway and the 36th-largest in the world.
What is the difference between Spitsbergen and Svalbard?
The archipelago has traditionally been known as Spitsbergen, and the main island as West Spitsbergen. From the 1920s, Norway renamed the archipelago Svalbard, and the main island became Spitsbergen. Kvitøya, Kong Karls Land, Hopen and Bjørnøya were not regarded as part of the Spitsbergen archipelago.
What are the key facts of the islands of Svalbard?
Svalbard Airport, Longyear serves as the main gateway. Approximately 60% of the archipelago is covered with glaciers, and the islands feature many mountains and fjords. The archipelago has an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other areas at the same latitude.
What does Spitsbergen mean?
Spitsbergen ( Urban East Norwegian: [ˈspɪ̀tsˌbærɡn̩]; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: Vest Spitsbergen or Vestspitsbergen [ˈvɛ̂stˌspɪtsbærɡn̩], also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway .