Oscar II land
Coordinates: 78 ° 32 ' N , 13 ° 7' E
Oscar II Land is an area on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard .
geography
Oscar II Land is located on the west coast of the northern part of Svalbard, between Isfjorden in the south and Kongsfjorden in the north. In the west, Oscar II land is bounded by Forlandsundet , on the other side of which is the island of Prins Karls Forland . The northeast border is a direct line from Kongsfjorden via Kongsvegen and Sveabreen to Nordfjorden (a branch of the Isfjorden). This forms the border with James I Land .
Landscape and settlement
While the interior of Oscar II Land is dominated by glaciers, various tribes of the Svalbard reindeer and walruses live on the coast . Polar bears , on the other hand, are rather rare. Beluga and minke whales live in the water . At Alkhornet in the far south on Isfjorden there are over 10,000 breeding birds. The Lovénøyane in Kongsfjorden form the Kongsfjorden bird reserve . There are other bird sanctuaries in Oscar II land. The coastline towards the Isfjord belongs to the Nordre-Isfjorden National Park .
The research settlement Ny-Ålesund is also located on the Kongsfjorden in the north of Oscar II Land.
history
The coast of Oscar II Land has served as a whaling base since the 16th century, as evidenced by the remains in the Engelskbukta . The area is rich in natural resources, especially coal , which used to be mined in Ny-Ålesund. After coal mining ceased there - among other things as a result of the Kings Bay Affair - Ny-Ålesund developed into today's research location.
etymology
Oscar II country was named after Oscar II (1829–1907), who was King of Sweden from 1872 to 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905.
swell
- Oscar II land . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).