News of Norway issue 7, 1995
From the early 1700s until around 1820, Russian hunters, whalers and sealers plied the islands. The discovery of coal at the turn of this century sparked new competition, and until World War I, Americans, Britons, the Dutch, Germans, Russians and Norwegians worked in the mines. But conflicts arose which could only be settled by a full clarification of Svalbard's sovereignty.
The Treaty of Svalbard awarded the island group to Norway. The signatories were Norway, the United States, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Eire and the British overseas territories. In 1924, Germany joined the signatory nations and in 1935 the Soviet Union did the same.
Today only Norwegian and Russian companies mine coal here. Russian production is about 500,000 tons a year, Norwegian about 400,000 tons. The population is about 3,100; two-thirds of them foreign nationals, mostly Russians. The people are concentrated around the settlements of Longyearbyen, Ny Ålesund, Barentsburg, Svea and Pyramiden.
Nearly two-thirds of Svalbard is covered by ice. Many glaciers extend to the coast, where they "calve" icebergs. Permafrost in coastal areas descends 330 ft., while inland it reaches 1700 ft. Because one branch of the Gulf Stream swings northward off the west coast of Spitsbergen and another flows into the Barents Sea, Svalbard has a milder climate than its latitude would indicate. Mean temperatures vary between 4.5° Fahrenheit in January and 42° F in July. The lowest recorded temperature is -51.3° F, the highest 70.3° F.
The springtime blooming of plant plankton in the Barents Sea provides the basis of the food chain. Oceanographic and climatic differences have considerable effect on plant life. Along the west coast, vegetation can be quite prolific, with flowers, fungi and carpets of moss and grass. Vegetation is particularly lush beneath bird rookeries.
Svalbard is known for its polar bears, which belong to a larger stock that roams the Arctic from East Greenland and eastwards past Svalbard to the Russian islands. In summer, polar bears on Svalbard normally keep to the pack ice along the north and east coasts. In winter they wander the west coast as well.
Tourism to Svalbard is regulated. The preservation of the wild landscapes and unspoiled natural environment gets first priority, but Longyearbyen tallies about 20,000 overnight stays annually. More and more cruise ships make Svalbard a port of call. About 25 vessels make a total of 40 to 50 visits, carrying 15,000 to 20,000 passengers each year. Visitors to Svalbard discover a land of high mountains, with alluvial plains beyond, and craggy coasts deeply gashed by fjords. Here is a new destination for intrepid travelers.
Based on an article by Helge Loland, editor of Nytt fra Norge.