| CIA Background Information |
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. | |
Location: Svalbard Jan Mayen Islands is Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway See Map
Capital: name: Longyearbyen
geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Currency (Code): Norwegian krone (NOK) ...More
Area: total: 61,020 sq km , land: 61,020 sq km , water: 0 sq km , note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) ( 1 sq km is approximately 0.4 sq miles or 250 acres)
Area Comparison: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Elevation Extremes: lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m , highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m (1 meter = 3.28 feet)
Population: 2,165 (July 2008 est.)
Unemployment: 9.5% (2004)
Ethnic Groups: Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998)
Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages: Norwegian, Russian
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