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

Area
Rank: 125
Land: 62,045 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 3,587 km

Maritime 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
Extremes highest point: Newtontoppen 1717 m

Natural resources: coal iron ore copper zinc phosphate wildlife fish

Land use
Permanent crops: 0%
Other: 100% (no trees; the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (2011)

Irrigated land: NA

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; Spitsbergen Island is the site of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault a seed repository established by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Norwegian Government


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Population: 1872 (July 2014 est.)
Rank: 234
Growth rate: -0.03% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 199

Nationality

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

Languages: Norwegian Russian

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.03% (2014 est.)
Rank: 199

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

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
Male: NA
Female: NA

Life expectancy at birth
Male: NA
Female: NA

Total fertility rate: NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0% (2001 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 170
Deaths: 0 (2001 est.)
Deaths rank: 158

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 short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen)

Government type: NA

Capital
Geographic coordinates: 78 13 N 15 38 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

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence: none (territory of Norway)

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system: the laws of Norway where applicable apply

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch
Head of government: Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since September 2009); Assistant Governor Lars Erik ALHEIM
Elections: none; the monarchy 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 tourism and international research are the major revenue sources on Svalbard. Coal mining is the dominant economic activity and a treaty of 9 February 1920 gave 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 engaging in this 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. Goods such as alcohol tobacco and vehicles normally highly taxed on mainland Norway are considerably cheaper in Svalbard in an effort by the Norwegian government to entice more people to live on the Arctic archipelago. By law the Norwegians collect only enough taxes to pay for the needs of the local government; none of tax proceeds go to Norway.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $6.313 billion

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: 1234 (2003)
Rank: 229

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Expenditures: $N/A
Surplus or deficit: NA% of GDP

Taxes and other revenues: NA% of GDP

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

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: $N/A

Imports: $N/A

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system
Domestic: local telephone service
International: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only) (2005)

Broadcast media: the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) began direct TV transmission to Svalbard via satellite in 1984; Longyearbyen households have access to 3 NRK radio and 2 TV stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .sj

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 (2013)
Rank: 188
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways: 3 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

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