Geography
Climate: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
EuropeBalanced Profile
Balanced and steady and stable, Svalbard and Jan Mayen holds its own in Europe. Think you know Svalbard and Jan Mayen's stats?
Balanced and steady and stable, Svalbard and Jan Mayen holds its own in Europe. No dramatic highs or lows — just consistent, solid numbers. Think you know Svalbard and Jan Mayen's stats?
78.0, 20.0 - Europe
Area
61K km²
Pop.
2.6K
Stats
10
Reality brief
Svalbard and Jan Mayen is a country in Europe with a population of 2.6K and an area of 61,399 km².
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Coastline Length
3.6K km#34globally
Total coastline length from CIA World Factbook.
Highest Elevation
1.7K m#139globally
Highest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Lowest Elevation
0 m#175globally
Lowest point elevation from CIA World Factbook.
Nobel Laureates Born per Million People
0 per 1M people#202globally
Nobel-related award recipients per million people, grouped by current country of birthplace from Wikidata and normalized by World Bank population.
Official Languages Count
1.0#218globally
Count of official languages listed for the country in Wikidata.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Svalbard and Jan Mayen
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Norwegian, Russian.
CIA 2026
Context
Norse explorers may have first discovered the Svalbard archipelago in the 12th century.
CIA 2026
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Land Border Length
0 km#226globally
Total length of land borders with neighboring countries from the frozen public-domain CIA World Factbook snapshot.
Irrigated Land
0 km²#209globally
Irrigated land area from CIA World Factbook.
Factbook notes
About Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Country briefing
Norse explorers may have first discovered the Svalbard archipelago in the 12th century.
Read the full Factbook note
Norse explorers may have first discovered the Svalbard archipelago in the 12th century. The islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was internationally recognized by treaty in 1920, and five years later Norway officially took over the territory. Coal mining started in the 20th century, and a Norwegian company and a Russian company are still in operation today. Travel between the settlements is accomplished with snowmobiles, aircraft, and boats.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- Location
- Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway
- Climate
- arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year
- Terrain
- rugged mountains; much of the upland areas are ice covered; west coast clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts
- Natural Resources
- coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish
- Natural Hazards
- ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic
- Size Comparison
- slightly smaller than West Virginia
People & Culture2 facts
- Languages
- Norwegian, Russian
- Ethnic Groups
- Norwegian 61.1%, foreign population 38.9% (consists primarily of Russians, Thais, Swedes, Filipinos, and Ukrainians) (2021 est.)
Government & History7 facts
- Government Type
- non-self-governing territory of Norway
- Capital
- Longyearbyen
- Capital Coordinates
- 78 13 N, 15 38 E
- Capital Timezone
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Name Origin
- the archipelago was traditionally known as Spitsbergen, a Dutch name meaning "jagged peaks," but Norway renamed it Svalbard in the 1920s when it assumed sovereignty of the islands, from the Norwegian sval (cold) and bard (shore); the Norwegian name may have been used during the Norse era for other locations
- Independence
- none (territory of Norway)
- National Anthem
- "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country)
Infrastructure & Defense2 facts
- Military Forces
- no regular military forces
- Broadcast Media
- Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) provides TV transmission to Svalbard via satellite; access to 3 NRK radio stations and 2 TV stations
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #34
Coastline Length
3.6K km#34
Highest Elevation
1.7K m#139
Lowest Elevation
0 m#175
Land Border Length
0 km#226
Environment1 statsBest: #209
Irrigated Land
0 km²#209
Demographics1 statsBest: #227
Population
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Svalbard and Jan Mayen
#227 in Population
The total number of people living in the country.
Top 91% globally
2.6K
Frequently Asked Questions about Svalbard and Jan Mayen
What is the population of Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
Svalbard and Jan Mayen has a population of 2.6K, ranking #227 globally by population.
What continent is Svalbard and Jan Mayen in?
Svalbard and Jan Mayen is located in Europe. It has an area of 61,399 km².
What is Svalbard and Jan Mayen known for in global statistics?
Svalbard and Jan Mayen ranks particularly high in Population (#227), Coastline Length (#34), Highest Elevation (#139).