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The polar archipelago of Svalbard was first discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596, although there is disputed evidence of use by Pomors or Norsemen. Whaling for bowhead whales started in 1611, dominated by English and Dutch companies, though other countries participated.
Svalbard (/ ˈ s v ɑː l b ɑːr (d)/ SVAHL-bar(d), [4] Urban East Norwegian: [ˈsvɑ̂ːɫbɑr]), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean.
The archaeology of Svalbard is the study of human activity in the northerly Arctic Ocean archipelago's past. The geography , environment and climate of Svalbard have resulted in exceptional preservation conditions. [ 1 ] (
Once named Spitsbergen after its largest island, the Svalbard archipelago was made a part of Norway—not a dependency—by the Svalbard Act of 1925. Since this date, it has been a region of Norway, with a Norwegian-appointed governor resident at the administrative centre of Longyearbyen.
The archipelago is administered by the Governor of Svalbard, which is subordinate to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. [6] [7] Unlike the rest of Norway (including Jan Mayen), Svalbard is a free economic zone and a demilitarized zone, [5] and is not part of the Schengen Area nor the European Economic Area. [8]
After World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, the newly formed Soviet Union looked to bolster its presence in the Arctic by purchasing mining rights on the archipelago of Svalbard (Spitsbergen ...
Although Svalbard is in Norwegian territory, and its government controls 99.5% of its land, there’s a sizable Russian presence in the archipelago, thanks to a treaty dating back to 1920 that ...
The archipelago is the northernmost part of Norway. Three islands are populated: Spitsbergen, Bear Island and Hopen. The capital and largest settlement is Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen. The Spitsbergen Treaty recognises Norwegian sovereignty over Svalbard and the 1925 Svalbard Act makes Svalbard a full part of the Norwegian Kingdom.