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1 results

  • 15 - The Genesis of the Spitsbergen/Svalbard Treaty, 1871–1920

  • Edited by Adrian Howkins, University of Bristol, Peder Roberts, University of Stavanger
  • Book:
    The Cambridge History of the Polar Regions
    Published online:
    24 March 2023
    Print publication:
    11 May 2023, pp 354-377

  • Summary

    The Spitsbergen/Svalbard Treaty of 1920 recognizes Norway as the ‘full and unqualified’ sovereign of the previously terra nullius Spitsbergen archipelago, including Bear Island, an area twice the size of Belgium, although with a much smaller population (currently 2,500 people) and no Indigenous residents.1 Despite Norway’s sovereignty, the Treaty gives the citizens of the signatory powers the same economic rights and right of access to the resources of the archipelago. Furthermore, the Treaty guards the users of Spitsbergen’s resources against heavy tax burdens, as it confines the tax levels to cover the costs of ruling it.