SELECT EDITION
CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(1 fields)
Broadcast media
a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994
◆ ENVIRONMENT(3 fields)
Climate
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Environmental issues
pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds and ocean currents
Land use
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(16 fields)
Area
total : 377 sq km land: 377 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Climate
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Coastline
124.1 km
Elevation
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277 lowest point: Norwegian/Greenland Seas 0 m note: Beerenberg volcano has numerous peaks; the highest point on the volcano rim is named Haakon VII Toppen, after Norway's first king following the reestablishment of Norwegian independence in 1905
Geographic coordinates
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Geography - note
barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora; island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon "bowl") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the "handle"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the "stem") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
total: 0 km
Land use
agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.) other: 100% (2018 est.)
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Map references
Arctic Region
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural hazards
dominated by the volcano Beerenberg volcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
Natural resources
none
Terrain
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
◆ GOVERNMENT(4 fields)
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen etymology: named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614
Dependency status
territory of Norway; since 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor ( fylkesmann ) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service; in 2010, Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve
Flag
the flag of Norway is used
Legal system
the laws of Norway apply
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
Background
This desolate, mountainous island in the Arctic Ocean was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg volcano, the northernmost active volcano on earth, resumed activity in 1970, and the most recent eruption occurred in 1985.
◆ MILITARY AND SECURITY(1 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of Norway
◆ PEOPLE AND SOCIETY(1 fields)
Population
total: no permanent inhabitants note: military personnel present on the south side of the island; meteorological stations