Svalbard - A trip to the most northern part of Europe

The arctic is not the first destination you will think about when planning a dive trip. Many divers from all over the world choose (sub)tropical destinations because of it’s colourfull flora and fauna. The adventurist who dares to go to the most northern part of the world will encounter a unique aquatic world.

Svalbard is a group of islands in the Northern Icesea. It consists of tree bigger and several smaller islands which are situated about 600 km northern of Norway. Svalbard was discovered by the dutch sailor, Willem Barentsz. In 1596 he tried to reach the azian continent by sailing across the norhern seas. During that trip Svalbard was discovered.

Svalbard has played a important role in whale-hunting. In former days the dutch, danish and the russians were active in hunting whales in this area. Names as Amsterdamkoya, Danskoya etc. reminds us of the times that whales were abundant in the cold waters of these islands.

In the year 1916 charcoal mines were founded on Svalbard. By now almost all mines are closed. Only the mines in Barentzburg are still active.
In the past many countries have claimed ownership over the islands of Svalbard. Since 1920 the area is under the Norwegian flag. The Norwegians have given the name Svalbard to the islands. Svalbard means : “cold coast”.

The only exeption to the Norwegian ownership is the city of Barentsburg. This city is the 2nd biggest on Svalbard and is under Russian control.

Svalbard is populated by around 2500 people who mostly live in Longyearbuyen and Barentsburg. Almost the same number of polar bears are living on the islands.