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