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

top of page


Background: The archipelago may have been first discovered by Norse explorers in the 12th century; the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was internationally recognized by treaty in 1920 and five years later it officially took over the territory. In the 20th century coal mining started and today a Norwegian and a Russian company are still functioning. Travel between the settlements is accomplished with snowmobiles aircraft and boats.


top of page


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: 62,045 km²
Land: 62,045 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya
Rank: 126
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 3,587 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: extends to depth of exploitation

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: rugged mountains; much of the upland areas are ice covered; west coast clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m: highest point: Newtontoppen 1717 m

Natural resources: coal iron ore copper zinc phosphate wildlife fish

Land use
Agricultural land: 0%
Forest: 0%
Other: 100%

Irrigated land

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


top of page


Population
Distribution: the small population is primarily concentrated on the island of Spitsbergen in a handful of settlements on the south side of the Isfjorden with Longyearbyen being the largest: 2,583 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 230
Growth rate: -0.03% (2014 est.)
Growth rate rank: 201

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Norwegian 59.8% Russian and Ukrainian 20.4% other 19.4% (primarily Swedish Thai and Philippine) (2016 est.)

Languages: Norwegian Russian

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.03% (2014 est.)
Rank: 201

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution: the small population is primarily concentrated on the island of Spitsbergen in a handful of settlements on the south side of the Isfjorden with Longyearbyen being the largest

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: ice floes are a maritime hazard; past exploitation of mammal species (whale seal walrus and polar bear) severely depleted the populations but a gradual recovery seems to be occurring

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
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

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Svalbard
Etymology: 12th century Norse accounts speak of the discovery of a 'Svalbard' - literally 'cold shores' - but they may have referred to Jan Mayen Island or eastern Greenland; the archipelago was traditionally known as Spitsbergen but Norway renamed it Svalbard in the 1920s when it assumed sovereignty of the islands

Government type: non-self-governing territory of Norway

Capital
Name: Longyearbyen
Geographic coordinates: 78 13 N 15 38 E
Time difference: UTC+1
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; only the laws of Norway made explicitly applicable to Svalbard have effect there; the Svalbard Act and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act and certain regulations apply only to Svalbard; the Spitsbergen Treaty and the Svalbard Treaty grant certain rights to citizens and corporations of signatory nations; as of June 2017 45 nations had ratified the Svalbard Treaty

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see Norway

Suffrage

Executive branch
Chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway ; Heir Apparent Crown Prince Haakon MAGNUS son of the king (born 20 July 1973)
Head of government: Governor Kjerstin ASKHOLT ; Assistant Governor Berit SAGFOSSEN (since 1 April 2016)
Electionsappointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Longyearbyen Community Council ; note - the Council acts very much like a Norwegian municipality responsible for infrastructure and utilities including power land-use and community planning education and child welfare; however healthcare services are provided by the state
Elections: last held on 6 October 2015
Election results: seats by party - Conservatives 5 Labor Party 5 Liberals 3 Green Party 2

Judicial branch
Highest court: none; note - Svalbard is subordinate to Norway's Nord-Troms District Court and Halogaland Court of Appeal both located in Tromso

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: the flag of Norway is used

National symbols

National anthem
Note: as a territory of Norway 'Ja vi elsker dette landet' is official

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity

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: 1590 (2013)
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
Revenues: $N/A
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:


top of page


Electricity

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 194,300 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 38
Crude oil exports: 16,070 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 54
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 193

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products consumption: 80,250 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 89
Products exports: 4,488 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 97
Products imports: 18,600 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products imports rank: 122

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 198
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 134
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 186
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 191

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system
General assessment: modern well-developed
Domestic: the Svalbard Satellite Station - connected to the mainland via the Svalbard Undersea Cable System - is the only Arctic ground station that can see low-altitude polar-orbiting satellites; it provides ground services to more satellites than any other facility in the world
International: country code - 47-790; the Svalbard Undersea Cable System is a twin communications cable that connects Svalbard to mainland Norway; the system is the sole telecommunications link to the archipelago

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


top of page


Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2013)
Rank: 190
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Barentsburg Longyearbyen Ny-Alesund Pyramiden


top of page


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