from
CIA World Factbook 2006
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.
Geography
Location: Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean,
Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of
Norway
Geographic 78 00 N, 20 00 E
coordinates:
Map Arctic Region
references:
Area: total: 61,020 sq km
land: 61,020 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
Area - slightly smaller than West Virginia
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 3,587 km
Maritime territorial sea: 4 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m
Natural coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish
resources:
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are
crowberry and cloudberry) (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a
hazards: transit point for coal export) on the west coast and
occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast
inaccessible to maritime traffic
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of
note: nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of
the total area; site of future seed repository under
construction by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the
Norwegian Government
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 -0.02% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
rate:
Sex ratio: NA
Infant total: NA
mortality male: NA
rate: female: NA
Life total population: NA
expectancy at male: NA
birth: female: NA
Total NA
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0% (2001)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0 (2001)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 0 (2001)
deaths:
Ethnic groups: Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other
0.3% (1998)
Languages: Norwegian, Russian
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred
to as Spitzbergen)
Dependency territory of Norway; administered by the Polar
status: 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 NA
type:
Capital: name: Longyearbyen
geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Independence: none (territory of Norway)
Legal system: NA
Executive chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17
branch: 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 none
organization
participation:
Flag the flag of Norway is used
description:
Economy
Economy - Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard.
overview: 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 $NA
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
Labor force: NA
Budget: revenues: $11.5 million
expenditures: $11.5 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Electricity - fossil fuel: 57.9984%
production by hydro: 42.0016%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0%
Exports: $NA
Imports: $NA
Economic aid - $8.2 million from Norway (1998)
recipient:
Currency Norwegian krone (NOK)
(code):
Currency code: NOK
Exchange Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408
rates: (2004), 7.0802 (2003), 7.9838 (2002), 8.9917 (2001)
Communications
Telephones - NA
main lines in
use:
Telephones - NA
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: probably adequate
system: domestic: local telephone service
international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth
station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with
Norwegian mainland only)
Radio AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: NA
Television NA
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: NA
Internet .sj
country code:
Internet 13 (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet NA
users:
Transportation
Airports: 4 (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 2
with unpaved under 914 m: 2 (2006)
runways:
Ports and Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden
terminals:
Military
Military $5.501 billion
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military - demilitarized by treaty on 9 February 1920
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute
international: their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's
fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits
within the Svalbard Treaty zone