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SVALBARD

 (territory of Norway) 

@Svalbard:Geography

 Location: Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents
 Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway

 Map references: Arctic Region

 Area:
 total area: 62,049 sq km
 land area: 62,049 sq km
 comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
 note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

 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

 International disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute in the
 Barents Sea between Norway and 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 half the year; fjords along west and north
 coasts

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

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

 Irrigated land: NA sq km

 Environment:
 current issues: NA
 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
 international agreements: NA

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

@Svalbard:People

 Population: 2,914 (July 1995 est.)

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

 Population growth rate: -3.5% (1995 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

 Ethnic divisions: Russian 64%, Norwegian 35%, other 1% (1981)

 Languages: Russian, Norwegian

 Labor force: NA

@Svalbard:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Svalbard

 Digraph: SV

 Type: 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

 Capital: Longyearbyen

 Independence: none (territory of Norway)

 National holiday: NA

 Legal system: NA

 Executive branch:
 Chief of State: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991)
 Head of Government: Governor Odd BLOMDAL (since NA); Assistant
 Governor Jan-Atle HANSEN (since NA September 1993)

 Member of: none

 Flag: the flag of Norway is used

Economy

 Overview: Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. By
 treaty (9 February 1920), the nationals of the treaty powers have
 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.

 Budget:
 revenues: $13.3 million
 expenditures: $13.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
 (1990 est.)

 Electricity:
 capacity: 21,000 kW
 production: 45 million kWh
 consumption per capita: 13,860 kWh (1992)

 Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere

 Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 6.7014 (January
 1995), 7.0469 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991),
 6.2597 (1990)

@Svalbard:Transportation

 Railroads: 0 km

 Highways:
 total: NA
 paved: NA
 unpaved: NA

 Ports: Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden

 Merchant marine: none

 Airports:
 total: 4
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
 with paved runways under 914 m: 3

@Svalbard:Communications

 Telephone system: NA telephones; local telephone service
 local: NA
 intercity: NA
 international: satellite communication with Norwegian mainland

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1 (repeaters 2), shortwave 0
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 1
 televisions: NA

 Note: there are 5 meteorological/radio stations

@Svalbard:Defense Forces

 Note: demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)


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