Isfjorden (Svalbard) in the context of "Adventfjorden"

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.

Longyearbyen (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈlɔ̀ŋjɛrˌbyːən], locally [ˈlɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən], "Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000, and the capital and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard. It stretches along the foot of the left bank of the Longyear Valley and on the shore of Adventfjorden, the short estuary leading into Isfjorden on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the island's broadest inlet. As of 2002, Longyearbyen Community Council is an official Norwegian municipality. It is the seat of the Governor of Svalbard. As of 2024, the town's mayor is Leif Terje Aunevik.

Known as Longyear City until 1926, the town was established by and named after American John Munro Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company started coal-mining there in 1906. Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK) took over the mining operations in 1916, and still conducts mining. The German Kriegsmarine almost completely destroyed the town on 8 September 1943, but rebuilding took place after the Second World War. Historically, Longyearbyen was a company town, but most mining operations moved to Sveagruva during the 1990s, and production ceased in 2017 due to immense financial losses suffered by SNSK since 2014 due to market conditions. Meanwhile, the town has seen a large increase in tourism and research. This includes the arrival of institutions such as the University Centre in Svalbard, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and Svalbard Satellite Station. Svalbard Airport, Svalbard Church and the Svalbardbutikken department store serve the community.

Operation Zitronella, also known as Unternehmen Sizilien (Operation Sicily), was an eight-hour German raid on Spitzbergen, in the Svalbard Archipelago, on 8 September 1943. The battleships Tirpitz (in its only offensive action) and Scharnhorst, plus nine destroyers, sailed to the archipelago, bombarded Allied-occupied settlements in Isfjorden and covered a landing party. Six Norwegians were killed and 31 were taken prisoner; sixteen Germans were wounded, one dying of his wounds.

Alkhornet is a mountain on the western coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of Norway’s arctic Svalbard archipelago. It is 428 m in height and stands in southern Oscar II Land on the northern side of the entrance to the inlet of Isfjorden near the bay of Trygghamna. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because its cliffs support about 10,000 breeding pairs of seabirds. The cliffs are composed of metamorphosed carbonate rock, over a billion years old. The moss tundra below the cliffs receives nutrients from the seabird colonies and is lush in places, providing grazing grounds for reindeer, nesting places for geese and denning sites for Arctic foxes.

Daudmannsøyra Important Bird Area is a 1000 ha tract of land at Daudmannsøyra, a coastal plain on the western side of Spitsbergen, the largest island of Norway’s arctic Svalbard archipelago. It lies in south-western Oscar II Land on the northern side of the entrance to the inlet of Isfjorden. It is flat with boggy terrain studded with freshwater ponds. Not only that, but it was identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of pink-footed and barnacle geese.

Colesbukta is a bay at the southern side of Isfjorden, in Nordenskiöld Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The bay is about 4.5 kilometers wide. A railway for coal transport was earlier operated between Grumantbyen and shipment facilities in Colesbukta. The valley Colesdalen debouches into Colesbukta.

The cabin built by the Russian geologist Vladimir Rusanov in 1912 at the entrance to Colesbukta has been turned into a small self-guided museum. Other buildings and facilities in the old Soviet settlement remain abandoned.