So, I just put a huge world map up on my wall this weekend. I was just looking at it and I noticed a couple of (largish) island groups that I’ve never seen before! Maybe it’s this weird Mercator projection aspect that makes them seem so big, but damn! You’d’a thought I’d’a seen 'em before!
Svalbard and Franz Joseph Land. They’re north of the Netherlands/Russia. Where the hell did those come from? i don’t recall ever seeing those on a map before! I had to check my globe just to be sure no one was trying to pull a hoax on me. Franz Joseph Land? WTF is up with that? Oh wait, there’s another one: Svernaya Zemla. Strange. Maybe they were just under the little cover at the end of the globe or something. Looks like they’re partially covered up.
Sorry for this strange thread. It just seemed bizarre to me.
Well, I have a large map of the world on my wall too. I have a thing for maps. My calendar has pictures of antique maps on it. So. Today I’m looking up at it, and I notice an island I have never seen before (really). At first I thought it was Iceland, but no, Iceland is farther south and closer to Greenland. According to my map, the mysterious new island is Svitzbergen, and it’s Norwegian. I think that’s right. My map is in Hebrew, and that is my best interpretation.
Do people LIVE on these wee islands off the top of the map? That is my question.
Kyla: I think it’s Spitsbergen, and yes, it’s inhabited.
Svernaya Zembla might be the Russian name for Nova Zembla, the arctic settlement where Dutch explorer Barentsz and his crew spent an entire winter in 1596 - and lived.
Damn, Coldy beat me to it. Yes, way, waaaay north of the Netherlands.
The archipelago is called Svalbard. The largest island is called Spitsbergen (also spelled Spitzbergen), and sometimes the whole archipelago is referred to by the same name. It’s under Norwegian sovreignty, but the Svalbard Treaty requires that all signatory nations be given certain rights in the area.
Spitsbergen is inhabited, but has no permanent inhabitants. There are about 1000 Norwegians, centered around the town of Longyearbyen, and there were about 2000 people from the former Soviet Union, mostly Russians and Ukrainians, in the towns of Pyramiden and Barentsburg. The ex-Soviet nations are in the process of abandoning their settlements there so I’m not sure how many are left. Officially, most people are there because of the coal mines (there are also a few there for scientific purposes). In fact, a lot of it is about politics.
Lately there’s been an influx of tourists, which has added a new flavor to the native polar bears’ diet :rolleyes:
Wow, thanks flodnak! I didn’t expect to get that much information. Now I know…and knowing is half the battle! [sub]GI Joe! [sub]A great american hero![/sub][/sub]
When I read the thread title, for some reason, I actually thought of Svalbard. And then you were askiong about it!
Flodnak beat me to it, but I was going to provide all kinds of info as well.
Sidenote: Tourists who travel there are advised to rent a rifle to have with during any outdoor activities or exploring of the island, again in case of polar bears.
Those of us around when the Russkies were testing The Big One certainly remember the big Arctic projection maps that had all those northern islands on them.
Does anyone remember the Isle of Lucy from Bullwinkle?
