Tracing The History And The Growth Of The Region
It is possible that the Vikings may have come across Svalbard as far back as the 12th century. Ancient Norse descriptions and documents detail the existence of a place that greatly resembles Svalbard in its name, and also describes the place to be as it is known today. However, since there is no concrete proof to establish the accuracy of these accounts, and there are other places such as a portion of east Greenland that resemble these accounts far more, one cannot establish this history as 100% accurate.
There has also been some speculation that the region knew settlements of Russian Pomors as early as the 16th century, but since constructive proof has only been available from the 17th century onwards, corroborating this fact too is tough.
In the year 1596 the first, unchallenged discovery of Svalbard was made. It is said that a Dutch citizen, Willem Barents, found Svalbard in the year 1596.
The islands of Svalbard were initially used as a base for whaling purposes. This use of the region came about in the 17th and the 18th century. It was in the year 1611 that the first-ever whaling expedition was directed to Spitsbergen. Various stations were built on the islands for converting whale blubber into oil, but soon after the activity was discarded. With the turn of the 20th century, the region started serving as a coal mining area, and numerous permanent facilities and settlements were constructed. In the year 1920 the Spitsbergen Treaty gave recognition to the sovereignty of Norway and then, five years later, the Svalbard Act was implemented, which included the archipelago of Svalbard as a formal part of the Kingdom of Norway. The laws also highlighted that Svalbard would be a demilitarized and free economic zone.
While mining too has lessened in the region, with only the Store Norske facility of Norway and the Arktikugol company of Russia working currently, research and tourism in the region have flourished as industries. The University Centre in Svalbard is an important institution for study, research and learning
Svalbard has now established itself as a tourist hot spot. The region offers the ultimate Arctic experience.