Spitsbergen (spĭts`bərgən), formerly Vestspitsbergen, largest island (15,075 sq mi/39,044 sq km) of Svalbard Svalbard (sväl`bärd), archipelago (23,958 sq mi/62,051 sq km), island group (2005 est. pop.
..... Click the link for more information. , a Norwegian possession in the Arctic Ocean. It rises to Newtontoppen Mt. (c.5,650 ft/1,720 m), the highest point. It is indented by large bays including Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden. Spitsbergen contains the chief mining towns of Svalbard including Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (lông`yērbü'ən), town and administrative center of Svalbard, on Isfjorden, Spitsbergen island.
..... Click the link for more information. , the administrative center. The Svalbard International Seed Vault, a global backup storage facility for the world's seed banks, is being constructed on Spitsbergen. The island served as the starting point for polar expeditions of Nils Nordenskjöld Nordenskjöld, Nils Adolf Erik, Baron (nĭls ä`dôlf ā`rĭk n
..... Click the link for more information. , Salomon Andrée Andrée, Salomon August (sä`l
..... Click the link for more information. , Roald Amundsen Amundsen, Roald (Roald Engelbregt Grauning Amundsen) (rō`äl ä`m
..... Click the link for more information. , Richard Byrd Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888–1957, American aviator and polar explorer, b. Winchester, Va. He took up aviation in 1917, and after World War I he gained great fame in the air. He commanded the naval air unit with the arctic expedition of D. B. MacMillan in 1925.
..... Click the link for more information. , Sir George Wilkins Wilkins, Sir George Hubert, 1888–1958, British explorer, b. Australia. He made a number of trips to Antarctica and to the Arctic. Valuable experience gained when he accompanied Vilhjalmur Stefansson's expedition (1913–18) to the Arctic and Sir Ernest
..... Click the link for more information. , and others.

Spitsbergen

Main island within the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. Spitsbergen lies 360 mi (580 km) north of the Norwegian mainland in the Arctic Ocean. It was formerly known as West Spitsbergen. The terrain is mountainous, and most of the island is covered with glaciers. It is also deeply indented by fjords. Spitsbergen has extensive coal deposits.

Spitsbergen (redirected from West Spitzbergen)

Spitsbergen

Spitsbergen
(redirected from West Spitzbergen)