Spitsbergen

Spitsbergen , formerly Vestspitsbergen, largest island (15,075 sq mi/39,044 sq km) of Svalbard , a Norwegian possession in the Arctic Ocean. It rises to Newtontoppen Mt. (c.5,650 ft/1,720 m), the highest point. It is indented by large bays including Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden. Spitsbergen contains the chief mining towns of Svalbard including Longyearbyen , the administrative center. The Svalbard International Seed Vault, a global backup storage facility for the world's seed banks, is on Spitsbergen outside Longyearbyen. The island served as the starting point for polar expeditions of Nils Nordenskjöld , Salomon Andrée , Roald Amundsen , Richard Byrd , Sir George Wilkins , and others.

Spitsbergen, Norway The main island within the Spitsbergen group of islands, themselves part of the Svalbard archipelago. It was named by Willem Barents^† when he came here in 1596. The name means ‘Needle Mountains’ from the Dutch spits ‘points’ and bergen ‘mountains’ because of their sharp ridges.