Background: Norse explorers may have first discovered the Svalbard archipelago 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 Norway officially took over the territory. Coal mining started in the 20th century, and a Norwegian company and a Russian company are still in operation today. Travel between the settlements is accomplished with snowmobiles, aircraft, and boats.

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 (Bear Island)
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Country comparison total: 0 km

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 3,587 km

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

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
Highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m
Lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m

Natural resources: coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 100% (2018 est.)

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

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
Total: 2,926 (2021 est.)
Growth rate: -0.03% (2019 est.)

Ethnic groups: Norwegian 61.1%, foreign population 38.9% (consists primarily of Russians, Thais, Swedes, Filipinos, and Ukrainians) (2021 est.)
Note: foreigners account for almost one third of the population of the Norwegian settlements, Longyearbyen and Ny-Alesund (where the majority of Svalbard's resident population lives), as of mid-2021

Languages: Norwegian, Russian
Major-language samples: Verdens Faktabok, den essensielle kilden for grunnleggende informasjon. (Norwegian); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.

Population growth rate: -0.03% (2019 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

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

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

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago)
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 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: the name in Norwegian means Longyear Town; the site was established by and named after John LONGYEAR, whose Arctic Coal Company began mining operations there in 1906

Independence: none (territory of Norway)

Legal system: 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

Citizenship: see Norway

Executive branch
Chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
Head of government: Governor Lars FAUSE (since 24 June 2021)
Elections/appointments: 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 (15 seats; members directly elected by majority vote to serve 4-year-terms)
Elections: last held on 9 October 2023 (next to be held in October 2,027)
Elections results: seats by party - Liberal 7, Labor 3, Social Liberal 3, Conservative 2
Note: the Council acts much like a Norwegian municipality, with responsibility for infrastructure and utilities (including power, land-use and community planning, education, and child welfare); however, the state provides healthcare services

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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: Conservative , Labor , Liberal , Progress , Socialist Left

International organization participation: none

Flag description: the flag of Norway is used

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

Economy overview: high-income Norwegian island economy; major coal mining, tourism, and research sectors; recently established northernmost brewery; key whaling and fishing base; home to the Global Seed Vault

Exchange rates:

Military and security forces: no regular military forces

Roadways
Total: 40 km (2020)