| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen) |
| Capital: |
Longyearbyen |
| 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 |
| Area: |
total: 62,049 sq km
land: 62,049 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
3,587 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 4 nm
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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
NA |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
|
| Independence |
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway |
| National
Holiday: |
NA |
| Constitution: |
|
| Legal
System; |
NA |
| Suffrage |
|
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
head of government: Governor Odd Olsen INGERO (since 8 June 2001) and Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since NA)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice |
| Legislative
Branch: |
|
| Judicial
Branch: |
|
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
|
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
2,701 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA |
| Median age: |
|
| Nationality: |
|
| Ethnic groups: |
Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998) |
| Religions: |
|
| Languages: |
Norwegian, Russian |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
NA |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: probably adequate
domestic: local telephone service
international: country code - 47-790; 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) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
NA |
| Internet country
code: |
.sj |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
NA |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
4 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
