Europe :: JAN MAYEN

  • Introduction :: JAN MAYEN

  • This desolate, arctic, mountainous island 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 following 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.

  • Geography :: JAN MAYEN

  • Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
    71 00 N, 8 00 W
    Arctic Region
    total: 377 sq km
    land: 377 sq km
    water: 0 sq km
    country comparison to the world: 205
    slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
    0 km
    124.1 km
    territorial sea: 4 nm
    contiguous zone: 10 nm
    exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
    continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
    arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
    volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
    mean elevation: NA
    elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
    highest point: Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277 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
    none
    agricultural land: 0%
    arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%
    forest: 0%
    other: 100% (2011 est.)
    0 sq km (2012)
    dominated by the volcano Beerenberg
    volcanism: Beerenberg (elev. 2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
    NA
    barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

  • People and Society :: JAN MAYEN

  • no indigenous inhabitants
    note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station

  • Government :: JAN MAYEN

  • 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
    territory of Norway; since August 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
    the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
    the flag of Norway is used

  • Economy :: JAN MAYEN

  • Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources, although surrounding waters contain substantial fish stocks and potential untapped petroleum resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island.

  • Communications :: JAN MAYEN

  • a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994 (2008)

  • Transportation :: JAN MAYEN

  • 1 (2013)
    country comparison to the world: 222
    total: 1
    1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
    none; offshore anchorage only

  • Military and Security :: JAN MAYEN

  • defense is the responsibility of Norway

  • Transnational Issues :: JAN MAYEN

  • none