Barentsøya, anglicized as Barents Island, is an Arctic island in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, lying between Edgeøya and Spitsbergen. To the north, in the sound between Barentsøya and Spitsbergen, lies the island of Kükenthaløya. To the south, the sound separating Barents Island from Edgeøya is Freemansundet.
Barentsøya has no permanent human inhabitants. It is part of the Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve and forms a habitat for several species, including polar bears and kittiwakes.
Svalbard (/ˈsvɑːlbɑːr(d)/ SVAHL-bar(d), Urban East Norwegian: [ˈsvɑ̂ːɫbɑr]) — formerly Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen — is a Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it lies about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen (37,673 km), followed in size by Nordaustlandet (14,443 km), Edgeøya (5,073 km), and Barentsøya (1,288 km). Bjørnøya or Bear Island (178 km) is the most southerly island in the territory, situated some 147 km south of Spitsbergen. Other small islands in the group include Hopen to the southeast of Edgeøya, Kongsøya and Svenskøya in the east, and Kvitøya to the northeast. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen, situated in Isfjorden on the west coast of Spitsbergen.
Whalers who sailed far north in the 17th and 18th centuries used the islands as a base; subsequently, the archipelago was abandoned. Coal mining started at the beginning of the 20th century, and several permanent communities such as Pyramiden and Barentsburg were established. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 recognizes Norwegian sovereignty, and the Norwegian Svalbard Act of 1925 made Svalbard a full part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Svalbard Treaty established Svalbard as a free economic zone and restricts the military use of the archipelago. The Norwegian Store Norske and the Russian Arktikugol remain the only mining companies in place.
Svenskøya (English: "Swedish Island") is an island in Svalbard. It is the second largest island of Kong Karls Land with an area of 137 km².
Svenskøya is separated from Kongsøya by the strait Rivalensundet. The island is separated from Edgeøya and Barentsøya by the strait Olgastretet.
Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve (Norwegian: Søraust-Svalbard naturreservat) is located in the south-eastern part of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. The nature reserve covers all of Edgeøya and Barentsøya in addition to a number of smaller islands, including Thousand Islands, Ryke Yseøyane and Halvmåneøya. The reserve is 21,825 square kilometres (8,427 sq mi), of which 6,400 square kilometres (2,500 sq mi) is on land and 15,426 square kilometres (5,956 sq mi) is on water—making it the second-largest preserved area in Norway (including national parks). The reserve has been protected since 1 July 1973 and borders the Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve to the north.
Kükenthaløya is an island between Barentsøya and Olav V Land, Svalbard. It is located south of the strait Heleysundet and north of Ormholet, at the inner part of Ginevra Bay. The island is named after German zoologist and Arctic explorer Willy Kükenthal.
Freemansundet is the sound separating Barentsøya, to the north, from Edgeøya, in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway.
Olgastretet (English: Olga Strait) is a strait in the Svalbard archipelago, separating Edgeøya and Barentsøya from Svenskøya of the Kong Karls Land. The strait takes its name from Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (1822-1892).