|
Location:
|
Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
78 00 N, 20 00 E
|
|
Map references:
|
arctic region
|
|
Area:
|
total: 62,049 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
water: 0 sq km
land: 62,049 sq km
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than West Virginia
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
0 km
|
|
Coastline:
|
3,587 km
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 4 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia
|
|
Climate:
|
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
|
|
Terrain:
|
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
|
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m
|
|
Natural resources:
|
coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish
|
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (no trees, and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (2001)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
NA sq km
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
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
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
NA
|
|
Geography - note:
|
northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area
|
