| 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. |
| 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 sq km
land: 62,049 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear
Island) |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than West Virginia |
| Maritime
claims: |
exclusive
fishing zone: 200 NM unilaterally claimed by
Norway but not recognized by Russia
territorial sea: 4 NM |
| 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, copper,
iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are
crowberry and cloudberry) |
| Natural
hazards: |
ice floes often
block up 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 |
| Population: |
2,332 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
NA%
15-64 years: NA%
65 years and over: NA% |
| Population
growth rate: |
-3.55% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
NA births/1,000
population |
| Death
rate: |
NA deaths/1,000
population |
| Net
migration rate: |
NA migrant(s)/1,000
population |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
NA deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
NA children
born/woman |
| 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: |
Russian,
Norwegian |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes
referred to as Spitzbergen) |
| Dependency
status: |
territory of
Norway; administered by the Ministry of Industry, Oslo,
through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen,
Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was
given to Norway |
| Independence: |
none (territory
of Norway) |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January
1991)
head of government: Governor Morten RUUD (since
NA November 1998) and Assistant Governor Odd Redar
HUMLEGAARD (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 |
| 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
trapping of seal, polar bear, fox, and walrus. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $NA |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA% |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$11.5 million
expenditures: $11.5 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
NA kWh |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
NA kWh |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$8.2 million from
Norway (1998) |
| Currency: |
Norwegian krone (NOK) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Norwegian kroner
per US dollar - 8.7784 (January 2001), 8.8018 (2000), 7.7992
(1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996) |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
NA |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: probably adequate
domestic: local telephone service
international: 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
Service Providers (ISPs): |
13 (Svalbard and
Jan Mayen) (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Barentsburg,
Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
3
under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
demilitarized by
treaty (9 February 1920) |
| Disputes
- international: |
focus of a
maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia |
|
