Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitsbergen, the largest island in the archipelago)
Dependency status:
territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway
Capital:
name: Longyearbyen
geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 38 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Independence:
none (territory of Norway)
Legal system:
the laws of Norway where applicable apply only the laws of Norway made explicitly applicable to Svalbard have effect there; the Svalbard Act and the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, and certain regulations, apply only to Svalbard; the Spitsbergen Treaty and the Svalbard Treaty grants certain rights to citizens and corporations of signatory nations
Citizenship:
see Norway
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
head of government: Governor Kjerstin ASKHOLT (since 1 October 2015); Assistant Governor Lars Erik ALHEIM
elections/appointments: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice
Legislative branch:
description: unicameral Longyearbyen Community Council (15 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve four-year-terms)
elections: last held on 6 October 2015 (next to be held October 2019)
election resulta: seats by party - Conservatives 5, Green Party 2, Labor Party 5, Liberals 3
note: the Council's main reponsibilities are infrastructures and utilities, including power, land-use and community planning, education, and child welfare; however, healthcare services are provided by the state
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): none; note - Svalbard is subordinate to Norway's Nord-Troms District Court and Halogaland Court of Appeal, both located in Tromso
Political parties and leaders:
Svalbard Conservative Party; Svalbard Green Party [ Espen Klungseth ROTEVATN]; Svalbard Labor Party [ Chjristin KRISTOFFERSEN]; Svalbard Liberal Party
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
none
Flag description:
the flag of Norway is used
National anthem:
note: as a territory of Norway, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is official (see Norway)
NOTE: The information regarding Svalbard on this page is re-published from the 2016 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Svalbard Government 2016 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Svalbard Government 2016 should be addressed to the CIA.
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This page was last modified 27-Apr-16