The History of Svalbard – Solution to online exercise 2016 Mandatory exercise. 66 % correct answers required to pass for final exam
Discovery and early history 1. According to Norwegian tradition Norse sailors discovered Svalbard – when? In 1194
2. Which of the following persons took part in the expedition that discovered Svalbard in 1596? Jan Cornelisz Rijp, Jacob Heemskerk, Gerrit de Veer, Willem Barentsz (3 out 4 accepted)
3. How many Arctic expeditions did Willem Barentsz take part in, and when did they take place? Three expeditions, in 1594, 1595 and 1596-97
4. In the early 1600s the British claimed that Svalbard had been discovered i 1553 – by whom? Hugh Willoughby
5. What is Svalbard called on the first map of the islands published by Cornelis Claesz in 1598? Het Nieuwe Land (The New Land)
Whaling and sealing 6. Which nationalities participated in whaling at Svalbard before 1620? British, Dutch, French, Scandinavian (British and Dutch accepted as correct)
7. Which whale species was the most important in 17th Century whaling at Svalbard? Bowhead (Greenland) whale
8. Which of these products of 17th Century whaling had commercial value? Oil, Baleen
9. When did traditional whaling at Svalbard come to an end? Around 1850
10. Which species of seal were hunted commercially in the North Atlantic before 1900? Hooded seal, Harp seal, Walrus (Hooded and Harp seal accepted as correct)
Hunters and trappers 11. Who were the first hunters and trappers to winter regularly on Svalbard? Russians
12. Which geographical region did the Pomors come from? White Sea
13. When did the Russian hunting and trapping on Svalbard come to an end? Around 1850
14. Which were the commercially most valuable products of Norwegian winter trapping? Furs of polar bear and fox
15. Which period saw the highest number of Norwegian winter trapping expeditions to Svalbard? 1900-1950
Exploration and science 16. When was the first Russian scientific expedition to Svalbard, and who was leader of it? In 1764-66, headed by Vasilij Chichagov (Chichagov 1765-66 accepted as correct)
17. The Swedish scientists Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld wintered once on Svalbard – where and when? At Polhem in Mosselbukta, 1872-73
18. New scientific winter stations were built on Svalbard during the International Geophysical Year – which? Hornsund, Kinnvika (Bjørnøya and Kapp Linnée existed, but were expanded during IGY) 19. Which scientific organization stood behind the station that was operated in Ny-Ålesund 1967-1974? European Space Research Organization - ESRO (NTNF, the Norwegian operator, also accepted as correct)
20. When was the University Center on Svalbard UNIS established? 1993
Polar Expeditions from Svalbard 21. Who was the first to try and go across the ice to the North Pole instead of using a ship, and when was it? Willian Edward Parry, in 1827
22. Who was the LAST of the following to attempt to reach the North Pole by aircraft? Umberto Nobile
23. How many polar expeditions did Roald Amundsen carry out starting from Ny-Ålesund? 2 (in 1925 and 1936)
The industrial era 24. Which company is associated with the establishment of Longyearbyen in 1906? Arctic Coal Co.
25. What is the name of the Russian coal mining company that operates on Svalbard today? Trust Arktikugol (Arktikugol accepted as correct)
26. Which of these mines actually produced coal during the period 2000-2010? Sveagruva, Longyearbyen, Barentsburg
Political history 27. Which of the following states did NOT sign the original Svalbard Treaty in 1920? Russia (signed in 1935)
28. What is the title of the highest ranking Government official on Svalbard, an when was the office established? Sysselmannen på Svalbard (Governor of Svalbard), established in 1925
29. The population of Svalbard was evacuated during World War 2 – when? 1941
30. In 1978 there was a confrontation between Norway and the Soviet Union regarding Svalbard – about what? A Soviet military aircraft crashed on Hopen. Apart from being a breach of the Svalbard Treaty (article 9), there was a controversy over the rescue operation and the analysis of the so-called black boxes. A Soviet military vessel appeared on the territorial border, but was denied access until the investigations was finished.
31. When was local democracy (Lokalstyret) established in Longyearbyen? 2002
End of exercise!