NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Svalbard
sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century, the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five years later it officially took over the territory. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway |
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Geographic coordinates:
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78 00 N, 20 00 E |
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Map references:
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Arctic Region |
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Area:
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total: 62,049 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) water: 0 sq km land: 62,049 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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3,587 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia
territorial sea: 4 NM |
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Climate:
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arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year |
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Terrain:
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wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and north coasts |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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2,811 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.02% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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NA (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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NA children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0% (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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0 (2001) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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0 (2001) |
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Ethnic groups:
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Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998) |
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Languages:
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Russian, Norwegian |
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Literacy:
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NA |