Svalbard is one of the most interesting places on earth, a kind of unique area. Often it is called the "polar desert." Many people know these places as the "polar bear archipelago."
general description
Regardless of the name, Svalbard and the village of Barentsburg located on its territory are a rare place in the world that has remained unpolluted at the moment. Everything is interesting here, including climatic features.
So, the weather on Svalbard in Barentsburg pleases with a beautiful polar summer. These days the sun shines around the clock. Moreover, the intensity of its rays is the same both at noon and at midnight.
The archipelago got its name back in 1956. Then a traveler from the Netherlands Barents called the island "sharp mountains", translated from Svalbard. From that moment they appeared on the maps of Europe. Some peoples call this unique land in their own way. So, the Norwegians adopted the name Svalbard.
Today on the territory of the archipelago mainly two states dominate - Russia and Norway. Moreover, the Russian Federation has a special position in Svalbard and in Barentsburg.
It is important to note that due to the substantial presence of Russia in this region, up to the end of the 20th century, the state maintained difficult relations with Norway. This happened due to the huge number of Russian citizens on these lands.
Arctic Strategic Area
The Arctic is a special region on the planet, especially for Russia. The high strategic interest is due to the fact that about a quarter of the hydrocarbon reserves available on the planet are concentrated here. In addition, as the glacier melts, the Russian Federation will discover additional shipping routes.
Of course, in order to fully master and develop any region, even with a rather harsh climate, there is a need to form a network of large and small settlements. Based on them, logistics networks are created both by water and by air. Often in Barentsburg on Spitsbergen, workers serving strategic facilities remain on vacation.
Extraction of various resources
On Svalbard, the Barentsburg mine is now the main field under development, with at least ten billion tons of coal with high calorific values. For comparison, it is worth noting that on the entire Russian territory its reserves are only five times greater.
On this, the presence of resources here is not limited. So, in the territory of the Barentsburg mine of the Svalbard archipelago lie deposits of some semiprecious stones.
Russia is not only actively developing this area in the present, but does not stop intelligence activities. Work in this direction made it possible to detect oil in the island bowels. Its presence over the years has been carefully hidden from its Norwegian neighbors.
Fishing industry
The village of Barentsburg, located on Svalbard, has also gained fame as a fishing region. Here you can catch fish species such as herring and catfish, halibut and cod, sea bass and flounder. Currently, relevant projects are being developed to allow the construction of narrowly focused factories specializing in the processing of algae and processing of fish caught in the region.
Interesting facts about the region
The city of Barentsburg, like the entire Svalbard archipelago, is a special place on the planet. Experts have compiled a selection of interesting facts about these places:
- The archipelago is a visa-free zone, that is, for a trip to these parts there is no need to apply for a visa when it comes to a direct flight, without the need for transfers. Otherwise, a transit Schengen is enough.
- On the territory of the islands they travel by boat in the summer, and in winter by snowmobiles. Other transport is not relevant here.
- In accordance with local traditions, a person must take off his shoes when entering the room.
- The region has about 3 thousand inhabitants and about 4 thousand bears. This is one of the few places on Earth where the number of bears exceeds the number of people.
- This is the largest territory on the map of Europe, where wildlife has been preserved in its original, untouched state. Most of the land in these places is especially protected. This is necessary to preserve its original appearance.
- As much as 127 days a year on the archipelago a polar day is held, the remaining 120 days fall on a polar night. It was at this time on Spitsbergen in Barentsburg that the Pyramid attracts the most tourists who come here from all over the world.
- The territory was considered a draw until 1920, when it was assigned to Norway. But the right to economic activity remained for each of the countries in accordance with the treatise.
- Each local guide certainly has weapons of various types and types. It will protect against sudden bear aggression. Moreover, in the local hotels and cafes, special cabinets are usually installed to store weapons.
- To date, three main names of these islands are in use - Grupmanth, Svalbard, Svalbard.
A bit of history
As noted above, until 1920, the territory of the archipelago did not belong to any of the countries of the world. At the same time, an important agreement was signed, according to which the region received special status. That is, according to the documents, this zone is included in the territory of Norway, but in fact, any country is allowed to conduct business activities. At the moment, this right is exercised exclusively by the Russian Federation.
According to modern historians, the territory was discovered approximately in the XII century. They were made by Pomors or Vikings. The official mention in the annals of Norway dates from 1194. The full discovery of the archipelago is attributed to the Dutch traveler Barents. On the map, he appeared already in 1596. Barents named the discovered islands.
After some time, the islands appeared on Russian maps. The Danes and the British claimed their right to the territory. Actively fought in these parts of the whaling industry. This happened in the XVII-XVIII century.
Mikhail Lomonosov organized several scientific expeditions to the islands. Then the scientists only managed to look at them, but it was not possible to organize even a small settlement due to the weak development of science and technology at that time and the severity of the local climate.
At the end of the whaling activity, the islands were abandoned for about a century. Only at the end of the 19th century, when a base for scientific expeditions and a full-fledged port was organized in Svalbard, interest in these lands increased again. Later, in 1920, the territory received the official status of Norwegian lands.
Current state of affairs
At present, the city of Barentsburg, located on the Svalbard archipelago, like the whole island group, retains a purely geopolitical meaning. It is important to simply indicate the presence of Russia in Norwegian territory with special status.
It is not surprising that Barentsburg itself in Svalbard became a loss-making settlement due to poor business development in these territories. Due to problems with the tourist infrastructure, visitors from other countries and regions are rarely here. Even getting to these places from the airport is very difficult.
Now, existing facilities are simply maintained in working order so as not to lose the status of the Russian Federation in the region, despite the need for constant state investments in them.
Recently, several interesting projects have been developed regarding the development of existing settlements. They imply sufficient infrastructure development to make some profit from these places. But in practice they are not yet engaged in their implementation.
Archipelago villages
In total, there are three large villages on the islands. The settlements on Svalbard are the Pyramid, Barentsburg, Grumant. The latter at the moment was in the status of an abandoned territory. Therefore, the guests of the islands can only swim past it. The pyramid, despite the fact that active development is no longer being carried out here, remains a favorite place for tourists. Only Barentsburg retained the status of an existing coal mine.
The population of Barentsburg is estimated at 380-400 people. Almost all of them are miners who serve the mine. People say that living in these places is not easy.
