Oscar-II-Land

78.5346313.121385Koordinaten: 78 ° 32 ' 4.7 "N, 13 ° 7' 17 " O

Oscar II Land is an area on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard.

Geography

Oscar II land located on the west coast of the northern part of Spitsbergen, between the Isfjorden the south and the Kongsfjorden in the north. In the west Oscar II land is limited by the Forlandsundet, on the other side of the island of Prince Charles Foreland is. The northeastern boundary is a direct line from Kongsfjorden over Kongsvegen and Sveabreen to Nordfjorden ( a tributary of the Isfjorden ). This forms the border with James I country.

Landscape and settlement

While the interior of Oscar II country is dominated by glaciers, live on the coast different strains of Svalbard reindeer and walruses. Polar bears are, however, rare. In the water live beluga whales and minke whales. On Alkhornet far south on Isfjorden there are over 10,000 breeding birds. The Lovénøyane in Kongsfjorden Kongsfjorden form the bird sanctuary. There are other bird sanctuaries in Oscar II country. The coastline against Longyearbyen belongs to Nordre Isfjorden National Park.

The research settlement Ny-Ålesund is also the Kongsfjorden in the north of Oscar II country.

History

The coast of Oscar II country since the 16th century served as a base for whaling, which is confirmed inter alia, such remains in the Engelskbukta. The area is rich in mineral resources, especially coal, which was formerly mined in Ny- Ålesund. After the coal was set there - partly as a result of the Kings Bay Affair - Ny -Ålesund developed for today's research site.

Etymology

Oscar II country was named after Oscar II (1829-1907), which until 1905 was king of Norway from 1872 to 1907 and King of Sweden from 1872.

Swell

• Article Oscar II country in The Place Names of Svalbard; Norsk Polarinstitutt; Oslo 1942-2010; ISBN 82-90307-82-9 ( 2001 edition ) (English / Norwegian)

• Spitsbergen
• Geography ( Svalbard )