Svalbard

Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean; population (1995) 2,900 (41% being Norwegian). The main island is Spitsbergen, which includes the largest town, Longyearbyen; other islands include Edgeøya, Barentsøya, Svenskøya, Nordaustlandet, Prins Karls Foreland, Wilhelmøya, Lågøya, Storøya, Danskøya, and Sørkappøya. The other main centres of population are the Russian mining settlements of Barentsburg and Grumantbyen. The total land area is 62,000 sq km/23,938 sq mi.

Sovereignty
The islands are said to have been first reached by William Barents in 1596, but it is probable that Icelanders and Norwegians visited them in the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, possession of the islands was disputed by the Norwegians, Dutch and English when whale hunting was at its peak in the area. While this activity ceased in the 18th century, the question of sovereignty was again raised on the discovery of rich beds of coal. Norway's sovereignty of the islands was recognized by treaty at the Paris Peace Conference in 1920, and in 1925 Norway officially took possession of the archipelago under the Svalbard Treaty, but gave free scientific and economic access to all other signatory nations.