Choć Święta z pasem, na próżno szukać zimy: nie ma mrozu, a co dopiero marzyć o śniegu. Paręnaście dni wolnego przed nami – może w tak zwanym międzyczasie poszukać śniegu w miejscach, gdzie można się go spodziewać, może w górach?… A na pewno znajdziemy i mróz i śnieg w Svalbard, archipelagu wysp na północy Norwegii. Ania Ciszelska pisze na temat tego miejsca na czubku globusa w swoim artykule w najnowszym wydaniu naszej anglojęzycznego periodyku AimHigh Magazine – zapraszamy do lektury!
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Further north, there is only the North Pole!
When you look at a typical map of Europe, you see that the northernmost land is the northern region of Norway. If you look closely, you will find fjords, islands, even a quite large city (Hammerfest), numerous fishing villages, and of course Nordkapp. However, this is not the end of Europe. Somewhere between the Nordkapp and the North Pole, there is something else. This is Svalbard – an archipelago of islands with an interesting history, nature and people who live and work there. I wanted to tell you about this place.
The Svalbard archipelago is in the Arctic Ocean about 800 kilometers from Norway and 1,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Its largest island is Spitsbergen. The highest authority of the Svalbard province is the governor, who ensures Norwegian sovereignty, has administrative and judicial power and watches over public order. He is also responsible for environmental protection. The capital of the archipelago is Longyearbyen.
Svalbard was known and visited for a very long time by the Vikings, then whalers, and fishermen. It was a place from which attempts were made to reach the North Pole – once even by balloon!!! Unfortunately, it ended tragically, but that is a different story. At the beginning of the 20th century, significant coal deposits were discovered here. Based on the Spitsbergen Treaty, the right to exploit the minerals found here, hunt and conduct scientific research is guaranteed to the signatory countries. And now an interesting fact: Poland has been a signatory to this Treaty since 1933! This means that Polish citizens have the right to settle, buy houses and stay on the Archipelago without a visa for an indefinite period! There are Norwegian and Russian settlements on Svalbard. Because Poles are signatories to the Treaty, they only exercise the right to scientific research and run several polar stations. About 2,500 people live and work here – they are involved in mining (mainly coal), fishing and scientific research.
It probably won’t be too warm for anyone here. In summer, temperatures range between +2 and +18 °C and in winter between -25 and +5 °C, but if you don’t like the heat, this is quite a good option The polar night lasts here from November 11 to January 30 and the polar day from April 19 to August 26. In summer, it is bright all the time, but in winter we can watch a wonderful spectacle in the sky – the aurora borealis. But it’s not the temperatures or the darkness of the night that are the problem here. There are about 3,000 polar bears in the Archipelago (more than people!). They can be dangerous to humans, and it is not recommended to move outside cities without weapons – for your safety! They also live here the large mammals; we can meet reindeer and arctic foxes. In addition, seals, walruses, many species of fish and birds.
There is also the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built to safely store seeds of edible plants from all over the world. The seed bank is 130 meters inside a sandstone mountain on Spitsbergen Island and employs robust security systems. The seeds are stored in sealed three-ply foil packages and then placed into plastic tote containers on metal shelving racks. The storage rooms are kept at −18 °C. The low temperature and limited access to oxygen will ensure low metabolic activity and delay seed ageing. The permafrost surrounding the facility will help maintain the low temperature of the seeds if the electricity supply fails. Attached to the seed boxes are sheets of nanofilm that hold information on such things as seed identity.
Maybe a few practical tips at the end. The currency on Svalbard is the Norwegian krone. It is easier to pay with cards than cash in shops on the archipelago. Since there are only 40 km of roads on Svalbard and the different settlements on Svalbard are not connected, this means that to travel between settlements, you must use a boat (in the summer) or a snowmobile (in the winter). What is the easiest way to get there? There are regular flights between Longyearbyen Airport and the Norwegian cities: of Oslo and Tromsø.
So, we exercise our right as signatories to the Spitsbergen Treaty and move to Svalbard?
Ania Ciszelska (4c)
