Svalbard, previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it lies about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range from 74° to 81° north latitude, and from 10° to 35° east longitude. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed in size by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen on the west coast of Spitsbergen.
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.
Longyearbyen is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000, and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank of the Longyear Valley and on the shore of Adventfjorden, the short estuary leading into Isfjorden on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the island's broadest inlet. As of 2002 Longyearbyen Community Council became an official Norwegian municipality. It is the seat of the Governor of Svalbard. The town's mayor is Arild Olsen.
Ashlad is a main character in a number of tales collected in Asbjørnsen and Moe's Norwegian Folktales.
Magnus Rognan Midtbø is a Norwegian rock climber, competition climber, and YouTube video blogger. He was born in Bergen, Norway. He retired from competition climbing in 2017.
The 1954 Bjørnøya Consolidated PBY Catalina crash was a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) of a Consolidated PBY Catalina on the island of Bjørnøya in Svalbard, Norway, on 28 March 1954 at ca. 15:00. The Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft of No. 333 Squadron RNoAF was conducting a postal drop flight from Tromsø to five settlements on Svalbard, including Bjørnøya Radio, making a low pass over Bjørnøya at a height of 40 meters (130 ft) before crashing into the ground. Only one of the nine on board survived.
Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum is a Norwegian visual arts museum in Northern Norway. The Northern Norwegian Museum of Art is responsible for the entire northern region and in 2010 established a separate department for the nationwide program.
Pedro Luis Joao Figueira Álvarez, known as La Divaza, is a Venezuelan and Mexican YouTuber and singer. La Divaza is the second YouTuber from Venezuela to reach one million subscribers after Dross.
Marthe Haaland Wang is a Norwegian singer-songwriter born and raised in Bergen. She sings about hope, wonder and relationships and about the past, future and present in the Bergen dialect. Her music can be described as timeless, melodious, playful and serious. The genuine and organic soundscape covers both pop, folk and jazz.
Dávid Julián Dobrík is a Slovak-born Internet personality. He found early success on the video-sharing platform Vine, before starting his vlog on YouTube in 2015. In 2019, he co-founded the photography app Dispo. Dobrik entered the United States as a child, and was later protected under the DACA program, before eventually being granted permanent residency.
Sailing La Vagabonde is a YouTube channel run by Australian video bloggers Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu. The channel documents the couple's life aboard their sailing catamaran La Vagabonde. As of July 2023, the channel had over 1.85 million subscribers and is the most popular sailing YouTube channel. In November 2019, they received significant media attention for sailing Greta Thunberg onboard La Vagabonde from Virginia to Lisbon for the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid.
Sailing SV Delos is a YouTube channel that chronicles the travels and adventures of video bloggers aboard the sailing vessel Delos. The boat is owned by Brian Trautman, who sails with his wife Karin Syrén and their daughter Sierra. Trautman and Karin sailed Delos for many years with Trautman's brother Brady, along with an ever-changing crew, including Alex Blue. The team often invites new crew members aboard for their journeys who contribute to sailing, boat maintenance, and filming. The films include experiences and adventures, which include island exploration, hiking, underwater diving, partying, meeting local people, boat maintenance, and simple day-to-day living, boat repairs, emergency procedures in addition to their experience crossing oceans. Delos has made several ocean crossings, sometimes through heavy weather conditions such as severe lightning storms, and once tackling a 50-knot gale en route to Madagascar.
Tunheim is an abandoned coal mining village on Bear Island, Svalbard, Norway. It lies in the northeast of the Island, a few kilometers east of the Bjørnøya Radio Station, & directly adjacent to Kapp Bergersen. To its south is Miseryfjellet, the tallest mountain on Bear Island.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Svalbard is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Svalbard on 6 October 2021.
On 13 October 2021, a man attacked eight people with various weapons – including a bow and arrow – at locations in Kongsberg, Buskerud, Norway, a town about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southwest of the capital city Oslo. Five people were killed, and three others were injured. The accused, identified as Espen Andersen Bråthen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen born in Norway and with a history of mental illness, was taken into custody on the same day and charged with murder. Although he pleaded guilty, in June 2022, a court determined his mental illness meant he could not be held criminally responsible for his actions, and he was sentenced to psychiatric confinement.
Tor Eckhoff, also known as Apetor, was a Norwegian YouTuber known primarily for his videos where he drank vodka while performing daring activities on frozen waters, like ice skating, swimming in ice holes and diving. He died in 2021 after he fell through the ice of a lake west of Kongsberg, Norway, while recording a video. At the time of his death, he worked at a paint factory in Sandefjord run by the chemicals company Jotun.
Lucas Lira Soares, is a Brazilian YouTuber, businessperson, and influencer. He gained popularity through his vlogs on the YouTube channel Invento na Hora, where he showcases his daily life with humor, often featuring his partner and child.
Holly Martin is a solo sailor and sailing vlogger best known for sailing her 27-foot sloop Gecko as part of her YouTube channel Wind Hippie Sailing.
James Frederick is a solo sailor and sailing vlogger best known for sailing his 1965 Alberg 30 Triteia as part of his YouTube channel Sailing Triteia. Frederick was raised in Southern California and dropped out of school at the age of 15. In August 2021 Frederick began his second attempt at sailing to Hawaii from California, during the voyage 1000 miles from Hawaii he lost his rudder and was forced to steer the rest of the way using a drogue. For this he was awarded the 2021 Qualifiers Mug from the Ocean Cruising Club. After spending the winter in Hawaii and repairing his rudder Frederick continued on towards French Polynesia.
