Economy of Svalbard
The economy of Svalbard is dominated by
Food
Agriculture
Fishing and hunting
Svalbard has historically been a base for both whaling and fishing. Norway claimed a 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Svalbard in 1977,[5] with 31,688 square kilometres (12,235 sq mi) of internal waters and 770,565 square kilometres (297,517 sq mi) of EEZ.[6] Norway retains a restrictive fisheries policy in the zone,[5] and the claims are disputed by Russia.[7]
Brewing
Establishing a brewery on the Svalbard archipelago required a change of Norwegian law, which prohibited commercial production of alcoholic beverages there until 2014. Svalbard Bryggeri established production of several beers in Longyearbyen in 2015, after the law was changed. 16% of the water used for brewing are thawed ice from the 2,000 year old Bogerbreen glacier. The brewery claims to be the northernmost brewery in the world.[8]
Taxation
The
Mining
Since the resettlement of Svalbard in the early 20th century, coal mining has been the dominant commercial activity.
Tourism
Tourism is centered on Longyearbyen. Activities include hiking, kayaking, walks through glacier caves and snow-scooter and dog-sled safari. Cruise ships generate a significant portion of the traffic, including both stops by offshore vessels and expeditionary cruises starting and ending in Svalbard. Traffic is strongly concentrated between March and August; overnights have quintupled (from 1991 to 2008), when there were 93,000 guest-nights.[1]
The world's northernmost blues festival, Dark Season Blues, is an annual event in late October in Longyearbyen, and marks the beginning of the dark season when daylight and the sun is about to leave Svalbard for four long winter months.
Norway announced in February 2012 that, in order to protect the islands from the danger of a ship running aground and possibly causing an oil spill within a pristine fjord, it would implement a requirement for cruise ships to carry a licensed pilot in order for the ship to enter any of the islands' fjords. Many of the fjords on Svalbard are quite dangerous, with strong torrents and narrow fairways. The pilot requirement will be phased-in gradually. Starting in 2012, all vessels going to the Svea coal mine had to carry a pilot. Starting in 2013, all passenger vessels over 150 meters had to have a pilot when going into one of the fjords on Svalbard. And starting in 2014, all boats over 70 meters and all passenger vessels longer than 24 meters needed to have a pilot when entering one of the fjords.[11]
A total of 72,544 guests arrived in Svalbard in 2018, up from 60,016 in 2015 and 34,752 in 2010, excluding campers.[12] As of 2015, 66% of visitors in Svalbard were tourists, while 28% traveled to the islands for scientific and 6% for business purposes. One fourth of the population works in the tourism industry. In 2019, 46,000 tourists participated in one-day cruises to Pyramiden or Barentsburg or longer cruises around the archipelago, compared to 16,000 in 2012. The number of accommodations in Svalbard has been increasing recently due the current tourism developments, and there are currently 9 hotels, 6 wilderness cabins, 5 guest houses, 1 apartment, and 1 camping site. The geographic remoteness and harsh climate of the Norwegian archipelago is also increasingly attracting visitors.[13]
Research
Research on Svalbard centers on Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, the most accessible areas in the high Arctic. Norway grants permission for any nation to conduct research on Svalbard, resulting in the
Transport
Within Longyearbyen there is a road system, but it does not connect with any other settlements. The town does have a bus system.
References
- ^ Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Focus on Svalbard". Statistics Norway. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Entry and residence". Governor of Svalbard. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Arlov (1996): 319
- ^ Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police. 29 October 1999. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Oversikt over geografiske forhold". Statistics Norway. 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- World Fact Book. Central Intelligence Agency. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- NRKJuly 31, 2015 (in Norwegian)
- ^ "Svalbard Treaty". Governor of Svalbard. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Svalbard Treaty". Wikisource. 9 February 1920. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ BarentsObserver.com, 21 February 2012; "No more pilot-free sailing around Svalbard"[permanent dead link]; accessed 25 FEB 2012.
- ^ "Statistikk fra Visit Svalbard AS" (PDF). visitsvalbard.com. Visit Svalbard. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ Magdalena Kugiejko, April 2021, "Increase of tourist traffic on Spitsbergen: An environmental challenge or chance for progress in the region?", ResearchGate:350640116
- Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police. 29 October 1999. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ "Arctic science for global challenges". University Centre in Svalbard. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- PMID 17301757.
- ^ "Life in the cold store". BBC News. 26 February 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Gjesteland, Eirik (2004). "Technical solution and implementation of the Svalbard fibre cable" (PDF). Telektronic (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Skår, Rolf (2004). "Why and how Svalbard got the fibre" (PDF). Telektronic (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ^ Umbriet (1997): 63–67
- ^ "Direkteruter" (in Norwegian). Avinor. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
- ^ "Charterflygning" (in Norwegian). Lufttransport. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
- Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
Bibliography
- Arlov, Thor B. (1996). Svalbards historie (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-22171-8.
- Umbreit, Andreas (2005). Guide to Spitsbergen. Bucks: Bradt. ISBN 1-84162-092-0.