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 Match 228   DB Rec# - 7,680  Dataset-WOFACT

Title         :Svalbard 
Text          : 
                                    Svalbard 
 
                                     Header 


 
Affiliation: 
    (territory of Norway) 
 
                                    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 
 
                                    Geography 
Note: 
    northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; 
    glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area 
 
                                     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 
 
                                   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) 
 
                                 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 
 
                                 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 
 
                                 Defense Forces 
 
    demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920) 

This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).

The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995

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Updated: March 12, 1996