Who owns Svalbard archipelago?
the Kingdom 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.
What country owns Svalbard island?
Norway
Svalbard, (Old Norse: “Cold Coast”) archipelago, part of Norway, located in the Arctic Ocean well north of the Arctic Circle. The islands lie between longitude 10° and 35° E and latitude 74° and 81° N, about 580 miles (930 km) north of Tromsø, Norway.
Why is Svalbard famous?
Top of so many people’s bucket lists, Svalbard is the home of the world’s northernmost… well, pretty much anything. Among many other things, the world’s northernmost full service hotel, liquor store, supermarket, cinema, library, and kebab van can all be found here.
Does anyone live on Svalbard?
Although Svalbard belongs to the Kingdom of Norway, two settlements in the archipelago are mostly populated by Russians and Ukrainians. Around 450 people live in the modern mining community of Barentsburg, while fewer than 10 live in the Soviet ghost town of Pyramiden.
Is Barentsburg part of Russia?
Barentsburg is the only remaining Russian permanent settlement on Spitsbergen, the largest island on the archipelago. Svalbard is under full Norwegian sovereignty, but according to a 1925 treaty, all signatory countries are granted non-discriminatory rights to fishing, hunting, and exploring mineral resources.
Is Norway an archipelago?
The archipelago forms the northernmost portion of the Kingdom of Norway. The Islands of the archipelago are located about halfway between the North Pole and the northern part of Norway.
What is the language of Svalbard?
Norwegian
The official language of Svalbard is Norwegian. Russian is used in the Russian settlements, but formerly, Russenorsk was the lingua franca of the entire Barents Sea region.
How much does it cost to live in Svalbard?
The cost of living in Svalbard is approximately the same as in the rest of Norway. Stipulated costs for accommodation and food is approximately NOK 10 000 per month.
Can you buy land in Svalbard?
The Norwegian state owns practically all land in Svalbard and in practice it is not possible to buy a plot for building your own home. Some private housing has been built on rented land. This housing has been sold or rented out to private individuals in Longyearbyen.
Do people live in Barentsburg?
Barentsburg (Russian: Баренцбург) is the second-largest settlement in Svalbard, Norway with about 455 inhabitants (2020). The settlement is almost entirely made up of ethnic Russians and Ukrainians.
Who owns Barentsburg?
Trust 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.
Where is Agardhbukta?
Agardhbukta is a bay between Sabine Land and Heer Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It is located at the western side of Storfjorden. It has a length of about 5.5 kilometers and is a continuation of the valley Agardhdalen.
Where is Svalbard?
Welcome to Svalbard, the true Arctic! Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Located on top of the world, it contains endless areas of unspoilt, raw Arctic wilderness. Svalbard consists of all the islands, islets and skerries between 74° and 81° north latitude and 10° and 35° east longitude.
What is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago?
Covering an area of 37,673 km 2, Spitsbergen is the largest and the most populous island of the Svalbard archipelago. Spitsbergen is also Norway’s largest island and the only permanently settled island in the archipelago. The island is bounded by the Arctic Ocean, the Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea.
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.