Svalbard
Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean
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We include updates on Longyearbyen, Little auk, Barentsburg, Pyramiden, Ny-Ålesund, Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition, Lars Fause, ISO 3166-2:SJ, Operation Zitronella, Pink-footed goose, Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801, Captain Antifer, The Ny-Ålesund Symposium, Arctic policy of Norway, Swedish–Russian Arc-of-Meridian Expedition, Bolette Sutermeister Petri ... and more.
| 2025 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The seed vault expands its collection to 1,331,458 total samples, with an additional 6,297 species added, reinforcing its role as a critical backup for global agricultural biodiversity.
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| 2025 |
Svalbard in fiction
James Gunn's Superman film shoots scenes in the Adventdalen valley of Svalbard, capturing the Fortress of Solitude and surrounding arctic regions.
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| 2025 | Gruve 7 mine is scheduled to shut down. |
| 2024 |
Languages of Svalbard
Population survey indicates a slight increase to 2,958 total inhabitants, with Norwegian residents increasing to 2,608, Russian residents decreasing to 340, and Polish residents remaining stable at 10.
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| 2024 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Total seed samples reach 1,301,397, marking a continued upward trend in global seed conservation efforts.
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| February 2024 | Norway announces new tourism regulations for Svalbard, including a maximum of 200 people per ship to protect the archipelago's flora and fauna. |
| 2023 |
Longyearbyen
A new voting rule was implemented for Longyearbyen local elections, requiring voters to have resided in mainland Norway for at least 3 years, effectively disenfranchising many foreign residents.
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| 2023 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Seed vault significantly expands to 1,267,127 samples, highlighting increasing global recognition of seed preservation importance.
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| June 2023 | Total population of Spitsbergen reached 3,094, with inhabitants distributed across multiple settlements: 2,465 in Longyearbyen, 130 in Ny-Alesund, 10 Polish residents at Hornsund research station, 440 Russians at Barentsburg, and 50 at Pyramiden. |
| May 9 2023 |
Barentsburg
Russian Consulate General and Arktikugol organized a Victory Day parade in Barentsburg, featuring 50 vehicles including cars, snowmobiles, trucks, buses, and a low-flying Mi-8 helicopter. The Governor of Svalbard, Lars Fause, was invited but declined to attend.
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| January 2023 | Norway announced the acquisition of six MH-60R helicopters, initially to be deployed with the Coast Guard and prepared for potential anti-submarine operations. |
| January 2023 | The Norwegian Coast Guard received its first modernized ice-capable ship, KV Jan Mayen, as part of a significant modernization program to strengthen Norway's ability to enforce claims around the Svalbard archipelago. |
| 2022 |
Svalbard reindeer
A genetic study supported recognizing the Svalbard reindeer as a distinct species, based on significant genetic and morphological divergence.
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| 2022 |
Pyramiden
Russia announced new investment plans to support its presence in Pyramiden and Barentsburg.
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| 2022 |
Barentsburg
Russia announced new investment plans to support its presence in Barentsburg and Pyramiden, reinforcing its continued commitment to the settlement.
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| 2022 |
Barentsburg
Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Barentsburg continued to maintain a population with at least half of its residents and miners being Ukrainian, highlighting the complex international character of this Arctic settlement.
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| 2022 |
Svalbard in fiction
In the Apple TV series 'Severance', the character Eustice Huang is transferred to Svalbard to work on global reforms for the company.
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| 2022 |
Svalbard in fiction
The animated science fiction series 'Pantheon' was released, featuring episodes set in Svalbard and incorporating advanced technology and artificial intelligence narratives.
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| 2022 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Collection grows to 1,170,569 samples, reinforcing the vault's role in protecting plant genetic diversity.
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| 2022 | A polar bear attacked a French tourist, causing arm injuries. The bear was later euthanized after shots were fired. |
| January 2022 | An undersea telecommunications cable connecting Svalbard with mainland Norway was damaged, with Norwegian suspicions falling on a Russian trawler, though the investigation remained inconclusive. |
| January 2022 | Russia announced new investment plans to support its presence in the Svalbard settlements of Barentsburg and Pyramiden. |
| 2021 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Seed vault reaches 1,125,419 total samples, further expanding its critical repository of global crop genetic resources.
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| 2021 | Student numbers partially recovered to 482, with the largest student group being from Norwegian universities (60%), followed by students from Germany (18%) and the Netherlands (10%). |
| 2021 | Lars Fause became the Governor of Svalbard, taking responsibility for various administrative and law enforcement duties. |
| October 6 2021 |
Bear Island
First recorded COVID-19 case in Svalbard occurred on Bear Island, involving a Russian fisherman who was transported to Longyearbyen hospital.
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| July 1 2021 |
Governor of Svalbard
The official title of the position changed from 'Sysselmann' to 'Sysselmester' as part of the Solberg government's initiative to replace gender-specific governmental titles with gender-neutral terms.
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| June 2021 | A new student housing complex called Elvesletta is completed in the city center, replacing the avalanche-prone Nybyen housing. The project cost 400 million Norwegian Krones and has a capacity for 300 students. |
| 2020 |
Languages of Svalbard
Population survey shows Svalbard has 2,898 inhabitants, with 2,433 Norwegian residents, 455 Russian residents, and 10 Polish residents.
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| 2020 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
The Cherokee Nation became the first US Native American tribe to deposit seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, safeguarding nine samples of heirloom food crops that predate European colonization.
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| 2020 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Total seed samples increase to 1,074,533, demonstrating ongoing commitment to preserving agricultural biodiversity during the global pandemic.
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| 2020 | Due to COVID-19 regulations, student numbers dropped significantly to 299, with the proportion of Norwegian students increasing from 32% to 43%. |
| August 2020 | A Dutch man was killed by a polar bear at a campsite in Longyearbyen, with the polar bear subsequently shot dead. |
| July 2020 |
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen recorded its highest ever temperature during this month, marking a significant climate milestone.
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| July 2020 | Unprecedented heat wave with temperatures over 20 degrees Celsius measured for four consecutive days in July. |
| July 25 2020 | Record high temperature measured for the Svalbard archipelago, which was also the highest temperature ever recorded in the European part of the High Arctic. |
| June 2020 | GitHub became the biggest customer of the Arctic World Archive. |
| March 2020 |
Longyearbyen
An under-16 boys futsal team representing Svalbard Turn participated in the 2-day Per Bredesen Cup in Horten.
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| March 2020 | Sveagruva mining settlement was shut down due to budget issues and environmental cleanup efforts. |
| 2019 |
Advent City
Archeologists complete a 3D reconstruction of Advent City during its peak period.
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| 2019 |
Zeppelin
The Zeppelin Observatory conducted the MOSAiC project, collecting year-round data that revealed a potential increase in highly active ice-nucleating particles due to surface warming in Svalbard. This research highlighted the impact of environmental changes on Arctic cloud formation and atmospheric conditions.
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| 2019 |
Longyearbyen
Only one individual reported actually receiving the AM broadcast while in Longyearbyen, verifying the station's claim of local broadcasting.
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| 2019 |
Svalbard in fiction
Animated film 'Klaus' is set on a fictionalized version of Svalbard.
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| 2019 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Seed vault collection grows to 992,032 samples, continuing its mission of safeguarding global crop diversity.
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| 2019 |
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Statsbygg completed improvements to the Seed Vault tunnel, including waterproofing walls, removing heat sources, and digging exterior drainage ditches.
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| 2019 | UNIS had 743 students, with 68% being international students from 43 different countries. |
| August 27 2019 |
Pyramiden
The world's northernmost film festival was held in Pyramiden, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Soviet cinema.
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| July 2019 |
Svalbard reindeer
Approximately 200 reindeer were found starved to death due to rain-on-snow events creating thick ice layers that made grazing plants inaccessible, linked to climate change impacts.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles University Centre in Svalbard, Governor of Svalbard, Pyramiden, Languages of Svalbard, Svalbard reindeer, Svalbard in fiction, Barentsburg, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Advent City, Longyearbyen, Zeppelin (research station), Bear Island (Svalbard) & Svalbard, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.