The Svalbard , often called Spitzberg in French of the name of sound principal island, is a Archipel located between 74° and 81° of Northern Latitude and between 10° and 34° of Longitude Is. It depends on the kingdom of Norway whose it forms the septentrional end.

History

detailed Article: History of Svalbard

The Viking S or the Russian probably discovered the Svalbard as of the 12th century.

There exists a country named Svalbard - literally “cold coast” - in the Scandinavian traditional accounts.

However, the first undeniable discovery of the archipelago was carried out by the navigator Dutch Willem Barents in 1596. The islands were used as a basis international for fishing for the Baleine at the time of 18th and 18th centuries.

They are also useful like base camp for many forwardings of exploration of the Arctique.

At the beginning of the 20th century, companies American, English, Swedish, Russian and Norwegian began the extraction of coal.

The sovereignty of the Norway was recognized by the Traité of Svalbard the February 9th 1920 with a clause which limited the military use of the territory and another which tolerated the colonies created by the other nations. Five years after, Norway controls officially the territory.

Svalbard was the theater of a fight ignored between the Third Reich and the Alliés for the establishment of weather stations at the time of the Second world war.

Policy

By the Treated of Svalbard of the February 9th 1920, Norwegian sovereignty on the archipelago was recognized and the islands were declared demilitarized zone. Norway recovered the administration of Svalbard in 1925. However, according to the terms of this treaty, the citizens of various countries have the right to exploit the natural resources " on an equal footing absolu". Consequently, a permanent Russian establishment, more or less autonomous, developed with Barentsburg. The Russians gave up an establishment similar to Pyramiden in 2000. It was a time when the Soviet population of Svalbard exceeded the Norwegian population considerably, but it is not any more the case from now on.

A governor named by Norway, the sysselmann , based with Longyearbyen, manages the territory, independently of the mode of the fylker, excluded the taxation which depend on the services of imposition (fylkesskattekontor) and of dispute (fylkesskattenemnd) of the North-Troms and the legal affairs which raise of the Court of Bankruptcy (tingrett) of Tromsø.

Geography

detailed Article: Geography of Svalbard

Svalbard is an archipelago of the Arctic Ocean, extending between 74° and 81° of northern latitude and between 10° and 34° of longitude is, forming the part more in north of Norway. The islands extend on 62.050 km ². The three principal islands are Spitsbergen (or Spitzberg) (39  000 km ²), Nordaustlandet (14 600 km ²) and Edgeøya (5 000 km ²).

Whole pieces of Svalbard are covered by Glacier S, in particular the Austfonna on Nordaustlandet. However, the Atlantic northern Current moderates the Arctic climate, making water navigable almost all the year.

Svalbard is located beyond the Arctic Circle. In Longyearbyen, the Midnight sun lasts of the April 20th to the August 23rd and the polar Nuit of the October 26th to the February 15th.

Hamlets

The hamlets are connected by no road. The means of transport used are the Bateau, the Avion, the Hélicoptère and the Motoneige.

Economy

detailed Article: Economy of Svalbard The economic activity turns around the extraction of coal, compensated by the fishing and the Chasse. During the last decade of the 20th century, the Tourism, the scientific Research and some companies of high-technology developed, particularly the relay stations of satellite.

Norway asserts an exclusive fishing zone of 200 marine miles around the islands, but Russia does not recognize it for the moment.

Since January 2004, Svalbard is connected by more than 1400 km of fiberoptics to Harstad in Norway. This network is used by the stations following of the satellite in polar Orbite.

An important deposit of seeds, the International Svalbard Seed Vault (Svalbard total Norwegian frøhvelv), is in construction since March 2007. Able to resist natural and human cataclysms, it must be used to preserve the seeds which will make it possible agriculture to adapt to the challenges imposed by the climate changes and the diseases which can destroy harvests. It must be operational in 2008.

Demography

detailed Article: Demography of Svalbard

The population of Svalbard roughly counts 2.400 inhabitants, including 800 Russian and Ukrainian citizens, as well as about fifteen Polish scientists. The majority of the population is Norwegian.

Climate

The permanent day starts towards the end of April finishing at the end of August. At the beginning of this period, the temperature is close to -10 with -5°. However, at the time of polar storms or when the sun hides a few hours behind a peak or a cloud, the temperature can quickly go down to - 15° and even - 20° (in this extreme case, only in bottom of the glaciers, because the wind is engulfed and cools there). During the summer, the temperature is normally slightly positive (although a record with 21 C° was recorded with the airport of Longyearbyen). The sky is very often covered and the storms are less frequent there.

Zoology

.

Paleontology

Fossils covering one period of almost 400 million years were discovered: primitive fish, Ammonite S, rostres of Belemnite S shells, traces of step of Dinosaurs, ferns, trees, sheets. During the summer 2006, a site of fossils of marine reptiles of an exceptional richness was discovered.

Culture

detailed Article: Culture of Svalbard

Others

See too

External bonds

  • tourist Official site of Svalbard
  • Spitzbergen
  • the official site of Svalbard
  • Charts and images on poetic Svalbard
  • Romance on Svalbard (readable on line)
  • Photographs of Longyearbyen and of Bjørndalen (Valley of the Bears)

Nds-nl: Spitsbargen Simple: Svalbard Zh-min-nan: Svalbard

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