- 1. What is the capital of Svalbard?
A) Bergen
B) Longyearbyen
C) Oslo
D) Trondheim
- 2. In which ocean is Svalbard located?
A) Atlantic Ocean
B) Arctic Ocean
C) Indian Ocean
D) Pacific Ocean
- 3. What is the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago?
A) Barentsøya
B) Spitsbergen
C) Edgeøya
D) Nordaustlandet
- 4. What is the northernmost settlement of Svalbard?
A) Ny-Ålesund
B) Barentsburg
C) Longyearbyen
D) Pyramiden
- 5. What is the currency used in Svalbard?
A) Norwegian krone
B) US dollar
C) Euro
D) British pound
- 6. What treaty grants Norway sovereignty over Svalbard?
A) Ice Treaty
B) Polar Treaty
C) Arctic Treaty
D) Svalbard Treaty
- 7. What is the predominant industries in Svalbard?
A) Mining and research
B) Forestry and energy production
C) Tourism and manufacturing
D) Fishing and agriculture
- 8. What unique environmental feature exists on Svalbard?
A) Tropical rainforest
B) Desert
C) Permafrost
D) Volcanoes
- 9. What is the main language spoken in Svalbard?
A) English
B) Russian
C) Norwegian
D) Swedish
- 10. Which animal is a symbol of Svalbard and commonly spotted in the region?
A) Beluga whale
B) Puffin
C) Polar bear
D) Arctic fox
- 11. Which international airport serves Svalbard?
A) Svalbard Airport, Longyear
B) Oslo Gardermoen Airport
C) JFK Airport
D) Heathrow Airport
- 12. Approximately what percentage of Svalbard is covered with glaciers?
A) 90%
B) 80%
C) 30%
D) 60%
- 13. What is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country-code for Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
A) SV
B) NO
C) SJ
D) JM
- 14. When did Norway announce new tourism regulations in Svalbard?
A) March 2025
B) January 2023
C) December 2022
D) February 2024
- 15. What is the maximum number of people allowed on a ship for tourism in Svalbard?
A) 200 people
B) 500 people
C) 1000 people
D) 50 people
- 16. Which settlement closed its mining outpost in 2020?
A) Longyearbyen
B) Ny-Ålesund
C) Barentsburg
D) Sveagruva
- 17. How is Svalbard administratively classified within Norway?
A) It is a separate country.
B) It forms an unincorporated area.
C) It is part of a Norwegian county.
D) It is under the European Union.
- 18. Which body of water lies to the west of Spitsbergen?
A) Barents Sea
B) Isfjorden
C) Norwegian Sea
D) Arctic Ocean
- 19. In what year did Norway officially adopt the name Svalbard for the archipelago?
A) 1907
B) 1827
C) 1890
D) 1925
- 20. Who first proposed that the Old Norse toponym Svalbarði referred to Spitsbergen?
A) Baltazar Keilhau
B) Roald Berg
C) Gustav Storm
D) Willem Barentsz
- 21. In what year did Baltazar Keilhau propose his theory about Svalbarði?
A) 1890
B) 1907
C) 1827
D) 1925
- 22. Who revived the theory about Svalbarði in 1890?
A) Baltazar Keilhau
B) Willem Barentsz
C) Roald Berg
D) Gustav Storm
- 23. What does the Old Norse word 'svalr' mean?
A) Warm
B) Hot
C) Cold
D) Mild
- 24. The name Spitsbergen was given by which explorer?
A) Roald Berg
B) Gustav Storm
C) Baltazar Keilhau
D) Willem Barentsz
- 25. In what year did Willem Barentsz describe the 'pointed mountains'?
A) 1890
B) 1925
C) 1596
D) 1827
- 26. What does the Old Norse word 'barð' translate to in English?
A) 'Edge', 'ridge', 'turf', 'beard'
B) 'Mountain', 'peak', 'valley', 'slope'
C) 'Forest', 'tree', 'leaf', 'bark'
D) 'River', 'stream', 'lake', 'pond'
- 27. What does the name Svalbard derive from?
A) Spitsbergen
B) Svalbarði
C) Jan Mayen
D) Langanes
- 28. According to Roald Berg, what did Svalbarði more likely refer to?
A) Part of Greenland
B) Spitsbergen
C) Jan Mayen
D) Svalbard
- 29. What does the word 'dægr' mean in the context of Svalbarði's discovery?
A) 'Day'
B) 'Month'
C) 'Week'
D) 'Year'
- 30. How many days' sailing north of Langanes was Svalbarði placed according to Landnámabók?
A) Four
B) Eight
C) Six
D) Two
- 31. What does the spelling 'Spitzbergen' derive from?
A) German
B) Icelandic
C) Norwegian
D) Dutch
- 32. What percentage of Svalbard does the Norwegian state own?
A) 85%
B) 90%
C) 80%
D) 95.2%
- 33. Which company owns 4% of Svalbard's land?
A) Arktikugol
B) Norsk Hydro
C) Store Norske
D) Equinor
- 34. How long does the midnight sun last at 81° north in Svalbard?
A) 128 days
B) 99 days
C) 365 days
D) 141 days
- 35. During which months does Longyearbyen experience the midnight sun?
A) All year round
B) From 1 June to 31 August
C) From 20 April until 23 August
D) From 15 May to 30 July
- 36. Which glacier is the largest in Svalbard?
A) Kvitøya
B) Vestfonna
C) Austfonna
D) Olav V Land
- 37. What is the tallest peak in Svalbard?
A) Newtontoppen
B) Chadwickryggen
C) Perriertoppen
D) Ceresfjellet
- 38. Which fjord is the longest in Svalbard?
A) Isfjorden
B) Woodfjorden
C) Van Mijenfjorden
D) Wijdefjorden
- 39. What is the strongest earthquake magnitude experienced in Norway, and when did it occur?
A) 6.5 on 6 March 2009
B) 7.1 on 12 December 2018
C) 5.8 on 15 August 1992
D) 6.3 on 22 November 2004
- 40. Which country's hunters overwintered more extensively in the late 17th century?
A) Russia
B) Denmark
C) France
D) England
- 41. What climate effect is noticeable on Svalbard due to ice melt?
A) Thermohaline circulation disruption
B) Ocean acidification
C) Greenhouse gas accumulation
D) Ice–albedo feedback effects
- 42. When did coal mining operations begin in Svalbard?
A) 1899
B) 1916
C) 1925
D) 1904
- 43. What is the name of the newspaper published weekly in Longyearbyen?
A) Svalbardposten
B) Ny-Ålesund Times
C) Barentsburg Bulletin
D) Pyramiden Post
- 44. As of January 2025, how many non-Norwegians lived in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund?
A) 297
B) 423
C) 865
D) 2,465
- 45. What year did the coal mines at Sveagruva and Lunckefjellet permanently close?
A) 2019
B) 2020
C) 2021
D) 2017
- 46. What was the name of the operation that saw the establishment of a Norwegian garrison on Svalbard in 1942?
A) Operation Fritham
B) Operation Gauntlet
C) Operation Haudegen
D) Operation Zitronella
- 47. In what year did Norway reject the Soviet proposal for joint administration of Svalbard?
A) 1950
B) 1949
C) 1945
D) 1947
- 48. What is the natural temperature inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?
A) -20 °C (-4 °F)
B) -6 °C (21 °F)
C) 10 °C (50 °F)
D) 0 °C (32 °F)
- 49. Which German weather station on Svalbard was established in October 1941?
A) Gauntlet
B) Knospe
C) Banso
D) Haudegen
- 50. Which mode of transport is used extensively during winter for commercial and recreational activities in Svalbard?
A) Skateboards
B) Snowmobiles
C) Bicycles
D) Horses
- 51. Who has been the Governor of Svalbard since 2021?
A) Jan-Gunnar Winther
B) Knut Frostad
C) Lars Fause
D) Bjørn Rune Gjelten
- 52. How many permanent residents does the Polish Polar Station at Hornsund have?
A) 4
B) 48
C) 10
D) 35
- 53. What type of towns are Ny-Ålesund and Barentsburg?
A) Capital cities
B) Mining villages
C) Company towns
D) Tourist resorts
- 54. Which German battleship was part of Operation Zitronella in 1943?
A) Scharnhorst
B) Gneisenau
C) Bismarck
D) Tirpitz
- 55. Which month in 1944 did the Germans set up their last weather station on Svalbard?
A) October
B) September
C) November
D) August
- 56. What is the predominant religion among the population in Svalbard?
A) Buddhism
B) Islam
C) Hinduism
D) Christianity
- 57. What is the distance from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg?
A) 200 km (124 mi)
B) 100 km (62 mi)
C) 45 km (28 mi)
D) 300 km (186 mi)
- 58. What was the primary reason for Soviet high civilian activity on Svalbard after World War II?
A) To establish a military base
B) To ensure the archipelago was not used by NATO
C) To mine coal
D) To monitor weather
- 59. Which region's Coast Sámi people were the first Norwegians to reach Spitsbergen proper?
A) Oslo
B) Hammerfest
C) Trondheim
D) Bergen
- 60. What was the population of Barentsburg in mid-2023?
A) 297 residents
B) 10 Polish
C) 130
D) 440 Russians
- 61. What was the name of the operation for the last German weather station on Svalbard?
A) Operation Haudegen
B) Operation Fritham
C) Operation Zitronella
D) Operation Gauntlet
- 62. Which air accident killed 141 people?
A) Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 (1996)
B) Heerodden helicopter accident (2008)
C) Kings Bay Affair
D) Ny-Ålesund mining accident
- 63. Which company became a major customer of the Arctic World Archive in 2020?
A) Amazon Web Services.
B) Microsoft Azure.
C) GitHub.
D) Google Cloud.
- 64. Who was the first governor of Svalbard?
A) James Cook
B) Johannes Gerckens Bassøe
C) Umberto Nobile
D) Willem Barentsz
- 65. In which year did the Kings Bay Affair occur, leading to the resignation of Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet?
A) 1962
B) 1954
C) 1984
D) 1975
- 66. What is the Arctic World Archive?
A) A digital archiving concern.
B) A coal mining operation.
C) A tourism agency.
D) A fishing company.
- 67. How many students are enrolled at the University Centre in Svalbard?
A) 500
B) 200
C) 1000
D) 350
- 68. Which settlement has a hotel and souvenir shop catering to tourists?
A) Pyramiden
B) Ny-Ålesund
C) Longyearbyen
D) Barentsburg
- 69. Which company operates Barentsburg, the only permanently inhabited Russian settlement on Svalbard?
A) Arktikugol
B) Kings Bay
C) Polish Polar Station
D) Norwegian Meteorological Institute
- 70. When was Longyearbyen incorporated as a town?
A) 1975
B) 1989
C) 1993
D) 1 January 2002
- 71. Which Russian coal mine closed in 1998?
A) Barentsburg
B) Grumant
C) Ny-Ålesund
D) Pyramiden
- 72. Which area was a significant breeding ground for seabirds in Svalbard?
A) Bjørnøya
B) Pyramiden
C) Ny-Ålesund
D) Longyearbyen
- 73. What was the cause of the cessation of coal exports from Barentsburg in 2006?
A) political tensions
B) depletion of resources
C) economic downturn
D) a fire
- 74. What is the main armament of the Jan Mayen-class patrol vessels?
A) Machine guns.
B) Missile launchers.
C) Torpedoes.
D) A 57 mm main gun.
- 75. How many signatory countries of the Svalbard Treaty can conduct commercial activities on the archipelago?
A) Thirty-five
B) Fifty-two
C) Forty-eight
D) Twenty-four
- 76. Which country's government in exile decided to establish a garrison on Svalbard?
A) Norway
B) Soviet Union
C) Germany
D) United Kingdom
- 77. What is the winter population of Ny-Ålesund?
A) 48
B) 10
C) 35
D) 180
- 78. What is limited by Norwegian legislation in Svalbard?
A) All commercial activities
B) Environmental policies
C) Local governance
D) Tourism only
- 79. What operation involved the evacuation of Norwegian and Soviet settlements from Svalbard in 1941?
A) Operation Haudegen
B) Operation Fritham
C) Operation Gauntlet
D) Operation Zitronella
- 80. What type of transport is prohibited on bare ground in Svalbard?
A) All types of transport
B) Air travel
C) Off-road motorized transport
D) Public buses
- 81. Which mine was the last Norwegian coal mine closed on 30 June 2025?
A) Pyramiden
B) Barentsburg
C) Mine 7
D) Grumant
- 82. How many resident polar bears were there in Svalbard as of 2021?
A) About 500
B) Around 300
C) Less than 100
D) Over 1000
- 83. What type of architectural style are the facilities in Barentsburg and Pyramiden built in?
A) Contemporary International
B) Post-World War II Soviet
C) Traditional Norwegian
D) Modern Scandinavian
- 84. When did Svalbard Airport, Longyearbyen open?
A) 1989
B) 1975
C) 1964
D) 2002
- 85. What percentage of the archipelago is protected as national parks, nature reserves, and bird sanctuaries?
A) 80%
B) 65%
C) 75%
D) 50%
- 86. Does Svalbard have a value added tax (VAT)?
A) Only on luxury goods
B) Only during winter months
C) No
D) Yes, the same as mainland Norway
- 87. In what year did the Germans establish their last weather station on Svalbard?
A) 1944
B) 1942
C) 1945
D) 1943
- 88. What was the warmest year on record at Svalbard Airport?
A) 2016
B) 2005
C) 1999
D) 2020
- 89. When did Norwegian hunting, mostly for walrus, start on Svalbard?
A) 1600s
B) 1900s
C) 1820s
D) 1790s
- 90. What was the code name of the German weather station established at Ny-Ålesund?
A) Banso
B) Haudegen
C) Knospe
D) Gauntlet
- 91. What is the refrigerated temperature for seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?
A) -5 °C (23 °F)
B) -30 °C (-22 °F)
C) -18 °C (0 °F)
D) -10 °C (14 °F)
- 92. How often does the Royal Norwegian Navy patrol Svalbard waters?
A) Twice a year.
B) Every month.
C) Only during emergencies.
D) At least once a year.
- 93. Which organization did Norway join two years after rejecting a joint administration proposal with the Soviet Union?
A) EU
B) UN
C) WEU
D) NATO
- 94. What is the summer population of Ny-Ålesund?
A) 48
B) 10
C) 180
D) 35
- 95. How many workers are stationed in Pyramiden as of 2023 to maintain local infrastructure and run its hotel?
A) 10
B) 35
C) 48
D) 4
- 96. Which area is the most important breeding ground for polar bears in Svalbard?
A) Pyramiden
B) Ny-Ålesund
C) Kong Karls Land
D) Longyearbyen
- 97. Which airship crashed on the icepack off the coast of Foyn Island in 1928?
A) Italia
B) Zeppelin
C) Hindenburg
D) R101
- 98. Which country established the first year-round mining operation in Adventfjorden?
A) Britain
B) Russia
C) Norway
D) United States
- 99. Which company provides corporate charter services from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund Airport?
A) Scandinavian Airlines
B) Norwegian Air Shuttle
C) Finnair
D) Lufttransport
- 100. Which operation involved a German task force attacking Svalbard in 1943?
A) Operation Gauntlet
B) Operation Fritham
C) Operation Haudegen
D) Operation Zitronella
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