Svalbard | |
| Svalbard is a group of islands located between
71-81°N and 10-35°E and covers an area of about 63.000 sq km of which
approximately 60% is covered with glaciers. The largest islands are
Spitzbergen, Nordostlandet, Barentsøya, Edgeøya and Prins Karls
Forland. Longyearbyen is the administrative center and has approximately 1400 inhabitants. Barentsburg is a Russian mining community and is housing 850 inhabitants. The other mining community is Sveagruva with 90 commuters. The Norwegian international research center is at Ny-Alesund with 40-100 researcher and support staff (depending on the season) and a Polish research station is at Hornsund with only 8 inhabitants. | |
|
| |
Prins Karls Forland | |
| The Forlandet National Park is the smallest of
the three national parks. The landscape of this long, narrow island varies
from low-lying shores to high peaks, with a number of small glaciers.
There are important breeding sites of eider ducks and geese. The island
lies in the path of the northernmost branch of the Gulf Stream, and as a
result of the relatively mild climate the island is home both to one of
the world's most northerly breeding colonies of guillemot and to the
northernmost population of common seal. Area : 640 km2 and protected since
1973.
| |
 | |
| Map of Svalbard with Prins Karls Forland on the
West coast.
| |
 |
|
