Svalbard and Jan Mayen - The Iconic Polar Bear Sign

Longyearbyen, Svalbard
The Iconic Polar Bear Sign

Sent by Khristin from Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

The polar bear population in the Svalbard archipelago is around 3,000 which exceeds the number of people that reside in the town of Longyearbyen. While encounters with the animals in the town are rare, Svalbard Polar Bear Signs warn residents and visitors of the potential danger they face when venturing beyond the limits of the town. In doing so, these signs have become icons in their own right that signify a spirit and reality that defines the entire community (read further).

Want to visit Longyearbyen, do book your stay here.

Norway - Svalbard and Jan Mayen - Ny-Ålesund

Norway - Svalbard - Ny-Ålesund

Sent by Netherlands Arctic Station from Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, Norway.

Ny-Ålesund ("New Ålesund") is one of the four permanent settlements on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on Brøggerhalvøya and Kongsfjorden. Like the rest of Svalbard, Ny-Ålesund is administered by the Kingdom of Norway.

Ny-Ålesund is one of the world's northernmost settlements at 78°55′N 11°56′E, and is the world's northernmost functional public settlement. It is 107 km away from Longyearbyen.

Today, it is inhabited by a permanent population of approximately 30–35 people. All of them work for one of the research stations — e.g. the Norwegian Polar Institute — or the logistics and supply company Kings Bay AS, which 'owns' and runs the research village. In the summer the activity in Ny-Ålesund is greatly increased with up to 120 researchers, technicians, and field assistants. At present, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, France, India, Italy,Japan, South Korea and China all maintain research stations at Ny-Ålesund, although not all are inhabited year-round.

Ny-Ålesund is home to the new Arctic Marine Laboratory (the northernmost in the world), which was officially opened on 1 June 2005. With many open rooms and wet and dry lab spaces alike, the marine lab is particularly useful for countries that do not maintain permanent research stations in the area. (read further)

Norway - Svalbard

This is from Wikipedia : Svalbard (Russian: Свальбард) is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. Located north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude (and thus inside the Arctic Circle), and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the largest island, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The administrative center is Longyearbyen, and other settlements, in addition to research outposts, are the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research community of Ny-Ålesund and the mining outpost of Sveagruva. The archipelago is administrated by the Governor of Svalbard.

The islands were first taken into use as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, after which they were abandoned. Coal mining started at the beginning of the 20th century, and several permanent communities were established. The Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 recognizes Norwegian sovereignty, and the 1925 Svalbard Act made Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. They also established Svalbard as a free economic zone and a demilitarized zone. The Norwegian Store Norske and the Russian Arktikugol remain the only mining companies. Research and tourism have became important supplementary industries, featuring among others the University Centre in Svalbard and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. No roads connect the settlements; instead snowmobiles, aircraft and boats serve inter-community transport. Svalbard Airport, Longyear serves as the main gateway.

The archipelago features an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other areas at the same latitude. The flora takes advantage of the long period of midnight sun to compensate for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also features polar bears, reindeer and marine mammals. Seven national parks and twenty-three nature reserves cover two-thirds of the archipelago, protecting the largely untouched, yet fragile, nature. Sixty percent of the archipelago is glacier, and the islands feature many mountains and fjords.