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What country owns Svalbard?

What country owns Svalbard?

Norway
Svalbard, (Old Norse: “Cold Coast”) archipelago, part of Norway, located in the Arctic Ocean well north of the Arctic Circle. The islands lie between longitude 10° and 35° E and latitude 74° and 81° N, about 580 miles (930 km) north of Tromsø, Norway.

Is Svalbard independent?

At face value the answer is easy: no, Svalbard is not a country, it is a part of Norway. It may be at least halfway between actual Norway and the North Pole, but the Svalbard Treaty of 1920 recognised Svalbard as a sovereign part of the Kingdom of Norway. Not a dependency, but a sovereign part.

What religion is Svalbard?

Svalbard Church
Location Svalbard
Country Norway
Denomination Church of Norway
Churchmanship Evangelical Lutheran

Who owns Svalbard and Jan Mayen?

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean under the sovereignty of Norway, but is subject to the special status granted by the Svalbard Treaty. Jan Mayen is a remote island in the Arctic Ocean; it has no permanent population and is administrated by the County Governor of Nordland.

How do I become a citizen of Svalbard?

Svalbard Citizenship There is no such thing as svalbard citizenship. Norwegian citizenship rules apply here. Immigrants must understand that time spent in svalbard does not count towards becoming norwegian citizen. This includes for marriage and children.

What’s it like living in Svalbard?

What life is like on Norway’s rugged Svalbard Islands, where anyone can move without a visa. Norway is consistently ranked among the happiest countries. Thanks to the Svalbard Treaty, foreigners don’t need a visa or any kind of permit to live and work in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

Can you live in Jan Mayen?

Jan Mayen is a tiny volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean, 600 miles west of Norway and 350 miles north of Iceland. It is a territory of Norway, and has no native population. The eighteen people who currently live there operate the weather station, LORAN-C transmitter, and coastal radio station.

Who was the first governor of Svalbard archipelago?

The treaty took effect on 14 August 1925, at the same time as the Svalbard Act regulated the archipelago and the first governor, Johannes Gerckens Bassøe, took office. The archipelago has traditionally been known as Spitsbergen, and the main island as West Spitsbergen.

Where is Svalbard located in relation to Europe?

Svalbard (/ˈsvɑːlbɑːr/ SVAHL-bar, Urban East Norwegian: [²svɑːlbɑr] (listen); prior to 1925 known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen) is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Situated north of mainland Europe, it is about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole.

When did Svalbard change its name to Spitsbergen?

History of Svalbard. The Svalbard Treaty came into effect in 1925, granting Norway sovereignty of the archipelago, but prohibiting “warlike activities” and establishing all signatories the right to mine. This both eliminated the mare liberum status of the islands, and also saw a name change from the Spitsbergen Archipelago to Svalbard.

When did the Svalbard Treaty come into effect?

The Svalbard Treaty came into effect in 1925, granting Norway sovereignty of the archipelago, but prohibiting “warlike activities” and establishing all signatories the right to mine. This both eliminated the mare liberum status of the islands, and also saw a name change from the Spitsbergen Archipelago to Svalbard.