Focus on: Svalbard

Key figures:
Population of Svalbard as at 1.1.2011	2 394
Protected area	65 per cent
Consumption in Longyearbyen. Mainland=100	116
Gross income adjusted for tax. Longyearbyen 2006. Mainland=100	137
Price level Longyearbyen 2010. Mainland=100	83
Coal production 2010 in Norwegian mines (1 000 tonnes)	1 935

Explanation of terms

The Svalbard Treaty was signed in Paris on 9 February 1920 and gives Norway sovereignty over Svalbard, while at the same time providing for certain rights for the 40 treaty signatories. For more information, go to: Svalbard Treaty

The Governor of Svalbard is the Norwegian government's supreme representative on Svalbard and administratively he reports to the Ministry of Justice and the Police, but the office also carries out tasks for a number of other ministries such as the Ministry of the Environment. The Governor of Svalbard has a staff of 27, who are divided into three departments; the Department of Environment Conservation, the Police Department and the Administration Department. For more information, go to: Governor of Svalbard

The Polar Affairs Department, under the Ministry of Justice and the Police coordinates the administration's handling of matters concerning Svalbard. The coordination is mainly carried out through the Interministerial Committee on the Polar Regions. The Polar Affairs Department also has overall responsibility for the Governor of Svalbard. For more information, go to: Polar Affairs Department

Longyearbyen Community Council was established on 1 January 2002 and is responsible for the infrastructure in Longyearbyen, social and land planning, financial planning, commercial activity, statistics production, development and coordination of community work aimed at children, adolescents and adults, child welfare, citizens' advice, youth work and kindergarten places, and acts as political secretariat. For more information, go to: Longyearbyen Community Councilt

Election to Longyearbyen Community Council is regulated by the Regulations on Community Council elections in Longyearbyen. Election to the Community Council is through direct elections held in October every four years. The term of office is four years.

Focus on

Svalbard

Svalbard is Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The land area of 61 020 km², corresponds to approximately 16 per cent of Norway's total land area. The largest island is Spitsbergen, where all permanent settlements and human activity are located. According to the Svalbard Treaty, Norway has sovereignty over Svalbard with restrictions that ensue from this. Svalbard is a full value part of Norway; it is not autonomous and is neither a municipality nor a county. Not all Norwegian laws are applicable on Svalbard, but Norwegian civil law, criminal law and procedural law all apply unless otherwise decided.

Protected areas: Svalbard has seven national parks, six large nature reserves, 15 bird sanctuaries and one geotopic protected area. Sixty-five per cent of the land area is protected.

Settlements on Svalbard: Longyearbyen is the Norwegian administration centre and the largest settlement on Svalbard. In the past 20 years, the town has gone from a homogenous community built up around the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani, to a more diverse society. The other settlements are Barentsburg (Russian), Sveagruva, Ny-Ålesund, Hornsund and the two meteorological stations on Hopen and Bjørnøya. There are also four fishing stations spread throughout Spitsbergen.

Population: The total population of Svalbard on 1.1.2011 was approximately 2 400. In the Norwegian settlements, Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, there are 2 017 residents, while the Russian settlement in Barentsburg has about 370 residents.

Economic living conditions: Whilst Svalbard residents previously had a somewhat more modest lifestyle than those on the mainland, the population of Longyearbyen now consumes an average of 16 per cent more each year than mainland residents. The increase is partly due to a greater abundance of goods and services, better travel connections to the mainland, new institutions and a private housing market. In 2006, the average gross income for economically active persons on Svalbard was NOK 494 700; almost 23 per cent higher than on the mainland. Adjusted for tax, the gross income on Svalbard was 37 per cent higher than on the mainland. In 2010, the price level was 17 per cent lower on Svalbard than on the mainland.

Housing: A total of 1 233 dwelling units are registered in Longyearbyen. Blocks of flats, row housing, linked dwelling units, blocks of bedsits and other small houses account for more than 90 per cent of the housing stock. Slightly less than 5 per cent are detached or semi-detached houses.

Business sector: The mining operations are still the main industry on Svalbard, but tourism and research/education are growing industries. In 2009, more than 2.6 million tonnes of coal were extracted from the Norwegian mines. The turnover of the mining and extraction industry totalled NOK 2 billion in 2009, which is about 51 per cent of the total turnover in the Norwegian settlements on Svalbard.