Svalbard

§1. Svalbard Introduction

Background:
  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.

§2. Svalbard Geography

Location:
  Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland
  Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway

Geographic coordinates:
  78 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:
  Arctic_Region

Area:
  total: 62,049 kmē
  land: 62,049 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  3,587 km

Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 4 nm
  exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not
    recognized by Russia

Climate:
  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

Terrain:
  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

Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m

Natural resources:
  coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)
    (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

Natural hazards:
  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

Environment - current issues:
  NA

Geography - note:
  northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands;
  glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area

§3. Svalbard People

Population:
  2,701 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: NA
  15-64 years: NA
  65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  -0.02% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
  NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sex ratio:
  NA

Infant mortality rate:
  total: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: NA
  male: NA
  female: NA

Total fertility rate:
  NA

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0% (2001)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  0 (2001)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  0 (2001)

Ethnic groups:
  Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998)

Languages:
  Norwegian, Russian

Literacy:
  NA

§4. Svalbard Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: none
  conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen)

Dependency status:
  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

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Longyearbyen

Independence:
  none (territory of Norway)

Legal system:
  NA

Executive branch:
  chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
  head of government: Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since 8 June 2001) and
    Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since NA)
  elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor
    responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice

International organization participation:
  none

Flag description:
  the flag of Norway is used

§5. Svalbard Economy

Economy - overview:
  Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9
  February 1920 gives 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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

Labor force:
  NA

Budget:
  revenues: $11.5 million
  expenditures: $11.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1998
    est.)

Exports:
  $NA

Imports:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $8.2 million from Norway (1998)

Currency (code):
  Norwegian krone (NOK)

Exchange rates:
  Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802
  (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001)

§6. Svalbard Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  NA

Telephone system:
  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)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  NA

Internet country code:
  .sj

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Svalbard Transportation

Airports:
  4 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 2
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden

§8. Svalbard Military

Military - note:
  demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920

§9. Svalbard Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  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


<Factbook 2006>
