1998 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1998 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 373 sq km land: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Climate
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Coastline
124.1 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Environment-current issues
NA
Environment-international agreements
party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geographic coordinates
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Geography-note
barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
Irrigated land
0 sq km (1993)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Map references
Arctic Region
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm
Natural hazards
dominated by the volcano Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Natural resources
none
Terrain
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
People and Society
Population
no permanent inhabitants note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran) C base and the weather and coastal services radio station
Government
Country name
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Data code
JN
Dependency status
territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
Flag description
the flag of Norway is used
Legal system
NA Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Norway) Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Norway)
Economy
Economy-overview
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island. Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: radio and meteorological station
Transportation
Airports
1 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Military and Security
Military-note
defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues
Disputes-international
none