Svalbard (territory of Norway)

§1. 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.

§2. Svalbard Geography

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 references:
  Arctic Region

Area:
  total: 62,049 kmē
  land: 62,049 kmē
  water: 0 kmē
  note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

Area - 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
  territorial sea: 4 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:
  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 highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m

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

Land use:
  arable land: 0%
  permanent crops: 0%
  permanent pastures: 0%
  forests and woodland: 0%
  other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

Natural hazards:
  ice floes often block up 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

Environment - current issues:
  NA

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

§3. Svalbard People

Population:
  2,332 (July 2001 est.)

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

Population growth rate:
  -3.55% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate:
  NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate:
  NA deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: NA years male: NA years
  female: NA years

Total fertility rate:
  NA children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0% (2001)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  0 (2001)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  0 (2001)

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

Languages:
  Russian, Norwegian

§4. Svalbard Government

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

Dependency status:
  territory of Norway; administered by the Ministry of Industry, Oslo,
  through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by
  treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was given to Norway

Government type:
  NA

Capital:
  Longyearbyen

Independence:
  none (territory of Norway)

National holiday:
  NA

Legal system:
  NA

Executive branch:
  chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
  head of government: Governor Morten RUUD (since NA November 1998) and
    Assistant Governor Odd Redar HUMLEGAARD (since NA)
  elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor
    responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice

International organization participation:
  none

Flag description:
  the flag of Norway is used

§5. Svalbard Economy

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 trapping of seal, polar bear, fox, and walrus.

GDP:
  purchasing power parity - $NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  NA%

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $NA

Population below poverty line:
  NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%

Labor force:
  NA

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA%
  nuclear: NA%
  other: NA%

Electricity - consumption:
  NA kWh

Exports:
  $NA

Imports:
  $NA

Economic aid - recipient:
  $8.2 million from Norway (1998)

Currency:
  Norwegian krone (NOK)

Currency code:
  NOK

Exchange rates:
  Norwegian kroner per US dollar - 8.7784 (January 2001), 8.8018 (2000),
  7.7992 (1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996)

§6. Svalbard Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  NA

Telephone system:
  general assessment: probably adequate domestic: local telephone service
  international: satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for
    communication with Norwegian mainland only)

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:
  NA

Television broadcast stations:
  NA

Televisions:
  NA

Internet country code:
  .sj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
  13 (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) (2000)

Internet users:
  NA

§7. Svalbard Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: NA km
  paved: NA km
  unpaved: NA km

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  4 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

§8. Svalbard Military

Military - note:
  demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)

§9. Svalbard Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia
