2024 Edition Primary
CIA World Factbook 2024 (factbook.json @ b8538d78e87c)
Introduction
Background
This desolate, mountainous island in the Arctic Ocean 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 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
Area
- land
- 377 sq km
- total
- 377 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
- highest point
- Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277
- lowest point
- Norwegian Sea 0 m
- note
- 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
Geographic coordinates
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Geography - note
barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora; island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon "bowl") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the "handle"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the "stem") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
- total
- 0 km
Land use
- agricultural land
- 0% (2011 est.)
- other
- 100% (2018 est.)
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Map references
Arctic Region
Maritime claims
- contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- continental shelf
- 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- territorial sea
- 12 nm
Natural hazards
dominated by the volcano Beerenbergvolcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
Natural resources
none
Terrain
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
People and Society
Population
- note
- note: military personnel operate the the weather and coastal services radio station
- total
- no indigenous inhabitants
Government
Country name
- 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
Dependency status
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
Flag description
the flag of Norway is used
Legal system
the laws of Norway apply where applicable
Communications
Broadcast media
a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994
Military and Security
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of Norway
Environment
Climate
arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Environment - current issues
pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds, ocean currents, and rivers accumulate in the food chains of native animals; climate change
Land use
- agricultural land
- 0% (2011 est.)
- other
- 100% (2018 est.)