Svalbard

Svalbard (Where to Stay)
Svalbardflickr/Martha de Jong-Lantink
Svalbard is a group of islands located between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea. The islands are under Norwegian rule since 1920. Its settlements are the northernmost permanently inhabited spots on the planet, far more northerly than any part of Alaska and all but a few of Canada’s Arctic islands. The combined permanent population is less than 3000, nearly all of which is concentrated in the main settlements of Longyearbyen and Barentsburg on Spitsbergen. Svalbard’s visitors come mostly to experience Arctic nature at its rawest and most powerful. The islands feature untouched glaciers and craggy mountains, but also amazing wildlife such as polar bears, caribou, reindeer, polar foxes, whales, seals and walruses.