Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Svalbard and Jan Mayen are separate Norwegian Arctic areas grouped under one statistical code. Longyearbyen is the administrative center of Svalbard.

Find Svalbard and Jan Mayen

● Svalbard center · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. Both Svalbard and Jan Mayen are highlighted. They are separate areas, not one administrative territory.

At a glance

Svalbard center: LongyearbyenLongyearbyen is Svalbard’s administrative center. Svalbard and Jan Mayen have no shared capital.
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)
Population: 2,5561 January 2025 · Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund only; not all Svalbard or Jan Mayen.
Area: 61,399 km²Svalbard 61,022 km² plus Jan Mayen 377 km²; Statistics Norway.
Norwegian sovereignty: 1925 / 1930Svalbard in 1925; Jan Mayen in 1930.

Svalbard and Jan Mayen in context

Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Longyearbyen; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

This entry combines two separate Arctic island areas: Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Svalbard is a large archipelago north of mainland Norway, with mountains, glaciers, fjords and tundra. Jan Mayen lies much farther southwest in the North Atlantic.

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island dominated by Beerenberg, while Svalbard contains a wider variety of mountain and sedimentary landscapes. They are not neighbouring parts of a compact island group. Their separation matters when interpreting maps and climate descriptions.

Climate & seasons

Svalbard has an Arctic climate, moderated near parts of the coast by Atlantic water. Jan Mayen has a cold maritime climate, and both have cool summers.

Polar environments

Glaciers, seasonal snow and long periods of darkness or daylight strongly shape conditions. Tundra vegetation has a short growing season. Marine ecosystems and seabird habitats connect these islands to the surrounding Arctic and North Atlantic waters.

Flag

The flag of Norway is used

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Norwegian is used in administration. Svalbard also has Russian-speaking communities associated with settlements such as Barentsburg, alongside a multilingual research and working population.

Community and regional languages

Jan Mayen has a small rotating station population rather than an ordinary permanent civilian community. The combined card covers two different places, not a single island society with one uniform language pattern.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & status

Svalbard and Jan Mayen share a statistical code but have separate histories and administration. The 1920 Svalbard Treaty recognized Norwegian sovereignty, and Svalbard became part of Norway in 1925. Jan Mayen became part of Norway in 1930.

1920
The Svalbard Treaty is signed
1925
Svalbard becomes part of Norway
1930
Jan Mayen becomes part of Norway

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Economy

Main activities

Svalbard has research, tourism and public services, with a history of coal mining. Jan Mayen has staffed meteorological and other government facilities rather than a normal resident commercial economy. Figures for the two areas should not be treated as one local economy.

Industry and production

Research stations, tourism and public services support activity on Svalbard. Jan Mayen is primarily a government-station location rather than a separate commercial economy.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Population

2,556 · 1 January 2025 · Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund only; not all Svalbard or Jan Mayen.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Government

Both areas are parts of Norway, administered separately. Svalbard has a Governor and local institutions in Longyearbyen under Norwegian law and the Svalbard Treaty. Jan Mayen has a separate administrative arrangement and is not covered by that treaty.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Knowledge check

Three questions about Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

In which year did this event occur in Svalbard and Jan Mayen: Svalbard becomes part of Norway?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Norway · Svalbard centenary · Statistics Norway · area · Norway · Svalbard budget and population · Norwegian Armed Forces · Jan Mayen

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.