Arctic

Spitsbergen is a Norwegian island, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, situated in the Arctic Ocean. This name was also formerly applied to the entire archipelago of Svalbard and occasionally still is280 miles long and between 25 and 140 miles wide. As Spitsbergen lies far within the Arctic Circle, the Sun is above the horizon for 24 hours a day from late April to late August. From 26 October to 15 February the Sun is continuously below the horizon, whilst from 12 November to the end of January there is civil polar night, where it is so continuously dark that artificial light must be used 24 hours each day.

Spitsbergen is one of three inhabited islands in the archipelago, and according to the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, citizens of any of the signatory countries may settle in the archipelago. The largest settlement on Spitsbergen is the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen, while the second largest settlement is the Russian coal mining settlement of Barentsburg. Other settlements on the island include the former Russian mining communities of Grumantbyen and Pyramiden. Early whaling expeditions to Svalbard tended, because of currents and fauna, to cluster around West Spitsbergen and the islands off-shore.

Kvadehuksletta, on western Spitsbergen, is notable for its unique stone structures, including very circular stones and labyrinthine patterns. These structures are believed to be the result of frost heaving.

Holidays in Spitsbergen

Around Spitsbergen »
Spitsbergen to East Greenland »