Svalbard
The land with the cold coast
A small and miserable piece of land?
Certainly not!
A spectacular group of islands - the very heart of the Arctic!
An amazing lansdcape with majestic mountains and fjords
Where magnificent glaciers plunge their ice-fronts into the sea -
Impressive dimensions, fashioned by Nature itself!
The Northern Light with its vibrant colours
Flares the sky and radiates the landscape -
A spellbinding and breathtaking scenery!
Midnight Sun and Polar Night -
The contrasts give awesome impressions
In the vast silence beneath the Arctic skies
Two thousand people live in this barren land
Where cold winds chill to the bone.
Formerly: Hunters, both at sea and ashore
Coal-mining no longer pays
Today: A centre for research, international and all-embracing
Artists are bewitched by the Arctic Light
Wild animals live on the islands:
The Polar bear, the Polar reindeer and the Polar fox.
A thousand different plants, some with beautiful flowers
And two hundred kinds of birds stay during the summer.
Indeed - an archipelago with an amazing landscape and multitude
A constant source of wonder and excitement
Øystein Olav Lægdene
