Svalbard

Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean between mainland Europe and the North Pole, covering about 62,045 square kilometers, more than half of it the island of Spitsbergen, with glaciers blanketing 60 percent of the land. The tail of the Gulf Stream keeps its climate milder than other places at the same latitude, with summer temperatures averaging 4 to 7 degrees Celsius and winter averages of minus 13 to minus 9, and the islands experience continuous midnight sun from late April to late August and polar night from late October to mid February. Polar bears, reindeer, Arctic foxes and large seabird colonies rely on the archipelago, and its plants have adapted to concentrate growth during the long summer daylight to compensate for the dark winter months.