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