The name Svalbard means "cold coasts" and was first mentioned in Icelandic texts in the twelfth century.
The Svalbard Islands offer great, wild nature, old mines and polar bears. The islands are located between 74° - 81° N and 10° - 35° E. They constitute of 63,000 square kilometres.
Nearly 65 per cent of the surface of Svalbard consists of protected areas, including 3 nature reserves, 6 national parks, 15 bird sanctuaries and 1 geotopical protected area.
Norway's largest glacier, Austfonna, lies on Svalbard. Austfonna is the world's third-largest icecap after Antarctic and Greenland with a glacier front of 200 kilometres.
The largest islands are Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet, Barentsøya, Edgeøya and Prins Karls Forland.
History
- 1596: Willem Barentsz discovers Svalbard
- 1600 - 1750: International whaling activities
- 1800 - 1900: Norwegian all-winter hunting and trapping
- 1906: John M. Longyear establishes the first mine
- 1920: The Svalbard Treaty is signed
- 1925: Norway is given sovereignty over Svalbard
Towns/settlements on Svalbard
Longyearbyen has 2,075 inhabitants. This is the seat of local government and Norway’s main administrative centre on Svalbard. The small colourful community has developed from being a typical village town into a modern community with different kinds of businesses and industries, and with a wide range of cultural activities and opportunities.
Other settlements are:
- Barentsburg (Russian mining community) 500 inhabitants
- Ny-Ålesund (Norwegian international research centre) 25 inhabitants
- Svea Gruva (Norwegian mining community) 240 commuters
- Hornsund (Polish research station) 11 inhabitants
Weather and climate
Despite of Svalbard being so close to the North Pole, the archipelago has a relatively mild climate compared to areas at the same latitude. In Longyearbyen, the average temperature ranges from 14 degrees Celsius below zero during winter to 6 degrees Celsius above zero during summer.
The lowest temperature was measured in March 1986 at 46.3 degrees Celsius below zero - the highest temperature was measured in July 1979 at 21.3 degrees Celsius.
During winter Svalbard often has long periods with temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius below zero; add to that a wind-chill factor that usually seriously compounds the cooling effect of the low temperatures.
During summer it is common with periods of fog.
In terms of precipitation, Svalbard may be described as an "arctic desert" with annual rain- and snowfall at a mere 200 - 300 millimetres.
The weather on Svalbard can shift very quickly and local variations are often considerable.
Check the weather forecast for the Svalbard Islands.
Safety