Bear Island

Also known as Bjørnøya

Bear Island (, ) is the southernmost island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. The island is located at the limits of the Norwegian and Barents seas, approximately halfway between Spitsbergen and the North Cape. Bear Island was discovered by Dutch explorers Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck on 10 June 1596. It was named after a polar bear that was seen swimming nearby. The island was considered terra nullius until the Spitsbergen Treaty of 1920 placed it under Norwegian sovereignty.

AI overview

Bear Island is the southernmost island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, located between Spitsbergen and the North Cape in the Arctic region. The island was discovered by Dutch explorers in 1596 and named after a polar bear, and it became part of Norwegian territory under an international treaty signed in 1920.

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Key facts

Islands.name: Bear Island
Islands.image_name: Bjornoya_Location_Map-en.svg
Islands.image_caption: Bear Island is located north of mainland Norway, in the south of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago
Islands.map_image: Bjørnøya map-en.svg
Islands.native_name: Bjørnøya
Islands.native_name_link: Norwegian language
Islands.location: Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea
Islands.area_km2: 178
Islands.highest_mount: Urd, Miseryfjellet
Islands.elevation_m: 536
Islands.country: Norway
Islands.population: 9, semi-permanent inhabitants

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population: 9
Area: 178
Elevation: 536
Image: Bjoern9.jpg
Width: 15.5
Length: 20

Show 4 more facts

Commons gallery: Bear Island
native label: Bjørnøya
Commons category: Bjørnøya
time of discovery or invention: 1596-06-10

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~18 min read

Article

12 sections

Contents

History
Geography
Hydrography
Climate
Flora and fauna
Birds
Environmental concerns
Culture
Books
See also
References
External links

Despite its remote location and barren nature, the island has seen commercial activities in past centuries, such as coal mining, fishing and whaling. However, no settlements have lasted more than a few years, and Bear Island is now uninhabited except for personnel working at the island's meteorological station Bjørnøya radio. Along with the adjacent waters, it was declared a nature reserve in 2002.