Introducing Svalbard Studies
Svalbard, or “cool edge” in Old Norse, is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It has no indigenous population and some 60% of its landmass is covered by ice. Yet its rich wildlife and mineral resources, as well as spectacular sights, have been attracting a great deal of commercial interest ever sinc...
Published in: | Nordlit |
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Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Septentrio Academic Publishing
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/18494 https://doi.org/10.7557/13.4990 |
Summary: | Svalbard, or “cool edge” in Old Norse, is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It has no indigenous population and some 60% of its landmass is covered by ice. Yet its rich wildlife and mineral resources, as well as spectacular sights, have been attracting a great deal of commercial interest ever since Willem Barentsz discovered the archipelago in 1596 and named it Spitsbergen (“peaked mountains”). Initially a whale hunting base and subsequently a mining ground, a tourist destination and an Arctic research centre, Svalbard could have belonged, among others, to the Dutch, the British and the Russians (who claim to have visited it before Barentsz) – but ended up under Norwegian jurisdiction, upon an international approval of the so-called Svalbard Treaty. |
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