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Svalbard, July 2009
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Sea, governed today by Norway. Its size is about 1½-times that of Switzerland or Denmark. The main island is better known by the name of Spitzbergen. One of the biggest attraction of the islands is their remote, basically untouched wilderness. 2800 people share the land with over 5000 polar bears. To leave the settlements you're forced to have a rifle with you for self-defense against the world's largest predator on land.
Svalbard lies at 80 degree latitude, only 1000km (600mi) away from the North Pole. During the summer months the polar ice cap is only a few kilometers away from the north coast of Spitzbergen. From mid April to mid August the sun is above the horizion all day. Due to the Gulf Stream the average temperature in summer reaches up to 5°C (41°F). In the dark winter, however, the temperature can drop down to freezing -40°C (-40°F).
The colonization of Svalbard started in the 17th century by whalers. There have never been native people here due to the harsh climate. After the decline of whaling, Americans and Dutch started coal mining in the beginning of the 20th century. During the World Wars the mines passed to Norway and Russia. After WW II Norway was appointed sovereignty over the islands. Until today, Russia and Norway maintain unprofitable mines out of political reasons. The Arctic is expected to hold vaste amounts of natural resources such as ore, gas and oil. |
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The most convenient access to the archipelago is via the tiny airport close to the capital Longyearbyen. Here, I joined a guided trekking group of three guides and 18 guests. On board of the expedition ship "MS Expedition" we sailed two days to a camp at Raudfjorden on the north coast of Spitzbergen. We stayed three days in the camp, hiking and enjoying the wilderness. On the third day the expedition ship picked us up again. After some sightseeing on board of the ship we left it again at a second camp at Blomstrand on the west coast of Spitzbergen. Here, we stayed three more days hiking before we were picked up again and shipped back to Longyearbyen.
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