Cool Nature at 81° North

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, between Norway and the North Pole. Only the Spitsbergen, Bjørnøya and Hopen islands are populated. Twelfth-century references to a mystery island with the Norse name of Svalbarði (“cool edge”) might indicate otherwise, but it was the Dutch explorer Barents who officially put Svalbard on the map in 1592. Despite being part of Norway, anyone who has a job is permitted to stay, creating an international community, with a Norwegian and Russian majority. Svalbard also serves as the headquarters for Arctic exploration expeditions, and has roughly 2,500 inhabitants at present. These persistent humans must share space with exotic local species of mice and reindeer, arctic foxes and the potentially dangerous polar bears. The Arctic climate is moderated by a warmer sea current. This allows the bird-life to thrive and flowers to race against the clock, producing colourful blossoms during a cold, bright and seemingly endless summer. As the consuming winter darkness that follows may seem just as long, Svalbard’s “capital” is possibly the world’s most aptly named: Longyearbyen.

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NORDIC VISITOR - NORWAY
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0181 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +(47) 22336630
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E-mail: norway@nordicvisitor.com
URL: www.norwayvisitor.com