Map of Svalbard | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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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 reference: Arctic Region

Area
Total: 62,049 km²
Land: 62,049 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
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
Extremes 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) (2001)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

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


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Population: 2,756 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: -0.02% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality

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

Languages: Norwegian Russian

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.02% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: NA births/1000 population

Death rate: NA deaths/1000 population

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1000 population

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio: NA

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: NA years
Male: NA years
Female: NA years

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0% (2001)
People living with hivaids: 0 (2001)
Deaths: 0 (2001)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: NA

Capital: Longyearbyen

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence: none (territory of Norway)

National holiday: NA

Constitution

Legal system: NA

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

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

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: the flag of Norway is used

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - NA

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $11.5 million
Expenditures: $11.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1998 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: NA

Imports: NA

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 7.0802 (2003) 7.9838 (2002) 8.9917 (2001) 8.8018 (2000) 7.7992 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: NA kWh
Consumption: NA kWh

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: NA
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)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sj
Users: NA

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: none

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs