Svalbard

Airports

total: 4 usable: 4 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1

Highways

total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA

Ports

limited facilities - Ny-Alesund, Advent Bay

Telecommunications

5 meteorological/radio stations; local telephone service; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 (2 repeaters) FM, 1 TV; satellite communication with Norwegian mainland

Note

demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)

Budget

revenues: $13.3 million expenditures: $13.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Currency

1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

Electricity

capacity: 21,000 kW production: 45 million kWh consumption per capita: 13,860 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 7.4840 (January 1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991), 6.2597 (1990), 6.9045 (1989)

Overview

Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. By treaty (9 February 1920), the nationals of the treaty powers have 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.

Area

total area: 62,049 sq km land area: 62,049 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

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

Coastline

3,587 km

Environment

current issues: NA 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 international agreements: NA

International disputes

focus of maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% (no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)

Location

Nordic State, Northern Europe in the Arctic Ocean where the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea meet, 445 km north of Norway

Map references

Arctic Region, Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources

coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish

Note

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

Terrain

wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts

Capital

Longyearbyen

Chief of State

King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991)

Digraph

SV

Flag

the flag of Norway is used

Head of Government

Governor Odd BLOMDAL (since NA); Assistant Governor Jan-Atle HANSEN (since NA September 1993)

Independence

none (territory of Norway)

Legal system

NA

Member of

none

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Svalbard

National holiday

NA

Type

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

Birth rate

NA

Death rate

NA

Ethnic divisions

Russian 64%, Norwegian 35%, other 1% (1981)

Infant mortality rate

NA

Labor force

NA

Languages

Russian, Norwegian

Life expectancy at birth

NA

Literacy

total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Net migration rate

NA

Population

3,018 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

-3.5% (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

NA