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When did Svalbard get its name?
When was Svalbard discovered?
Where is Svalbard located?
How did the discovery of Svalbard affect the Arctic?
The polar archipelago of Svalbard was first discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596, although there is disputed evidence of use by Pomors or Norsemen. Whaling for bowhead whales started in 1611, dominated by English and Dutch companies, though other countries participated. At that time there was no agreement about sovereignty.
Jun 4, 2024 · According to the Islandske Annaler (“Icelandic Annals”), Svalbard was discovered in 1194, but it remained unknown to the modern world until rediscovered by the Dutch explorers Willem Barents and Jacob van Heemskerck in June 1596.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The name Svalbard was officially adopted for the archipelago by Norway under the 1925 Svalbard Act which formally annexed it. The former name Spitsbergen was thenceforth restricted to the main island. In 1827 Baltazar Keilhau first proposed that the Old Norse toponym Svalbarði, found in medieval Icelandic sources, referred to Spitsbergen.
Oct 1, 2020 · The real, documented history of Svalbard, however, begins in 1596 when a Dutch explorer by the name of Willem Barentsz set out on his third and final voyage to discover the Northeast Passage. Read more: Fascinating Facts about Svalbard.
Jan 14, 2022 · The Icelandic Annals recorded that Svalbard was discovered in 1194 by Norse sailors. A branded Nenet (Russian arctic) reindeer shot on Svalbard in 1911 led to the plausible explanation that the animal crossed the Barents Sea on drift ice, and Stone Age hunters may have followed a prehistoric reindeer's route. Remove Ads. Advertisement.
- Kim Martins
Svalbard, an archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean, holds a history as vast and rugged as its icy landscapes. While the first people to visit Svalbard is disputed, there’s no denying that the island was of great importance for European hunting and trade in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The discovery of Svalbard and the human entry in the Arctic ecosystem set the stage for 400 years of exploration and exploitation – at times without any constraints – of available resources at sea and on land. Whaling in the 17th and 18th centuries ended in a total collapse of the stock of bowhead whales around Svalbard.
