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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nordlit 2020-02 (45)
Main Authors: Chekin, Leonid S., Rogatchevski, Andrei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Area Studies
Humaniora: 000
Humanities: 000
Samfunnsvitenskap: 200
Social science: 200
Svalbard
Svalbard Studies
VDP
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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.
ISSN:0809-1668
1503-2086
1503-2086
DOI:10.7557/13.4990