Svalbard

Six hundred and twenty miles from the North Pole with latitude 78 degrees north is 23,550 square miles of islands for tourists. Here in Svalbard visitors can witness first hand an entire spectrum of attractions. This includes anything from natural beauty, to wild life, and seasonal events.


If one was to travel as far north as a commercial airplane will take them, they would arrive at Longyearbyen, Svalbard, the main settlement of 2000 people. Minus forty degree winds may deter some during the harsh winter but the icy glaciers, snow capped mountains, and the sight of the northern lights make up for this downfall. The wildlife is another must see. In a single day one can observe whales, walruses, seals, reindeer, arctic foxes, and birds. Their most famous animal is the polar bear (Figure 1.) The region has a population of 4,000-5,000 polar bears that can weigh up to 1,000 pounds each. They fear nothing; therefore, people are strongly urged to carry rifles with them. The bears prefer seals but they have been known to enter the town and in 1995 killed a human.

Despite the man eating bears the area offers other amenities like no other place
can offer. In the winter there’s dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice-caving, Figure 1, Polar Bear
cross-country skiing, or an overnight stay aboard the sailing ship Noorderlicht, which is frozen into the polar ice. Then in the warmer summer months, people can experience old coal mines, cruises, kayaking, and trekking. This is the time to best observe the wildlife as they attempt to eat the wild flowers which make up only 7% of the landscape, the rest being rocks. In Svalbard, starting on November 11 and ending on January 30, the sun won’t ever rise. Then on April 20 to August 23 the sun won’t set. This gives Svalbard a truly full range of all qualities and attractions.



Citation: "Arctic Adventures on Norwegian Archipelago." March 13, 2008 March 13, 2008. <http://www.blogger.com/%22Arctic%20Adventures%20on%20Norwegian%20Archipelago.%22%20March%2013,%202008%20March%2013,%202008.%20%3Chttp://www.cnn.com/2008/geaways/03/13norwy.arctic.ap/index.html%3E.>.