CIA Factbook The World Factbook 1994: SvalbardGeography Location: Nordic State, Northern Europe in the Arctic Ocean where the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea meet, 445 km north of Norway Area: • total area: 62,049 sq km • land area: 62,049 sq km • comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia • note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 3,587 km Maritime claims: • exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia • territorial sea: 4 nm International disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and 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 half the year; fjords along west and north coasts Natural resources: coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish Land use: • arable land: 0% • permanent crops: 0% • meadows and pastures: 0% • forest and woodland: 0% • other: 100% (no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) Irrigated land: NA sq km Environment: • current issues: NA • natural hazards: ice floes often block up the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible • international agreements: NA Note: northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area