Everything about Longyearbyen totally explained
Longyearbyen is the
administrative centre of
Svalbard and is located on
Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard
archipelago. Longyearbyen has approximately 2,075 inhabitants. It is one of the world's northernmost towns, coming in second place only after
Alert, Nunavut with 5 inhabitants. As the world's northernmost town with 1,000 people or more, it has many of the
world's northernmost things.
Geography
Due to its location far north of the
Arctic Circle, it's in
polar night from the end of October to mid February and
polar day from mid April to mid August. Longyearbyen has an Arctic
tundra climate (see
Geography of Norway). The
Governor of Svalbard and his administration reside in Longyearbyen.
History and present day facilities
The settlement was founded in
1906 by
John Munroe Longyear, main owner of the
Arctic Coal Company of Boston. "Byen" is
Norwegian for "the city". It was destroyed by the
Nazis in
1943 and rebuilt after
World War II, with the old foundations still visible in some places.
Until the early
1990s the
coal mining industry was the major employer in Longyearbyen. The daily life circled only around the mining business. Today, the community offers a wide range of activities and facilities. There is a swimming hall, a
climbing wall, a big sports hall, a grocery store, three pubs, three hotels, one church, several tourist shops, a cinema (Sundays), one night club, and a
squash court. There is also
University Centre in Svalbard, which represents four Norwegian universities and provides university-level education in Arctic studies.
Mining & Research
Mining still plays a major role in the community. The Norwegian mining company,
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, runs two coal mines in Longyearbyen and Svea, and coal mining employs about half the residents. Research activities and
tourism are growing steadily each year due to its excellent
infrastructure. Research includes ionospheric and magnetospheric facilities such as the
EISCAT radar, the Auroral station and a
magnetometer belonging to the IMAGE chain.
In
1993, the
University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) was opened. It is a cooperation of all four Norwegian universities, providing lectures in geophysics, arctic biology, geology and Arctic technology as well as bachelor, master and PhD positions. It has about 300 students, but with the addition of the new research centre, enrollment will increase. Most students of UNIS live in six renovated mining barracks in Nybyen.
Arctic Safe
Nicknamed "Doomsday Vault",
Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an Arctic safe capable of storing millions of crop seeds, is located near Longyearbyen.
Global Crop Diversity Trust administers the facility. The safe has been designed to protect against natural and human disasters, including global warming, floods and fires, and nuclear holocaust. The site was chosen for both its remoteness and ambient temperature of the permafrost.
Tourism
Most tourists to Longyearbyen arrive during the spring and summer. The spring is very popular since
Spitsbergen is one of the few places in Norway where a
snowmobile can be driven in open country without special permission. However, due to strict
environmental laws not all of the main island of
Spitsbergen is accessible. From February until November several tour operators provide a wide range of guided trips.
Longyearbyen is
the world's most northern easily accessible settlement, with
Svalbard Airport just outside town offering regular flights to and from
Tromsø and
Oslo,
Norway. The airport served 90,000 passengers in
2004.
Media
Longyearbyen has one newspaper,
Svalbardposten.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Longyearbyen'.
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