Jan Mayen

/yahn" muy"euhn/

a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Norway: a possession of Norway. 144 sq. mi. (373 sq. km).

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Jan Mayen

Introduction Jan Mayen
Background: This desolate, mountainous island 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 following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/ Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on earth. Geography Jan Mayen -
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 373 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 4 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/ Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970 Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass People Jan Mayen
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA Government Jan Mayen
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen
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
Legal system: the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used Economy Jan Mayen -
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 Jan Mayen
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998) Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000) Transportation Jan Mayen
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2001) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001) Military Jan Mayen
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway Transnational Issues Jan Mayen Disputes - international: none

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▪ island, Norway

      island, part of the Kingdom of Norway, in the Greenland Sea of the Arctic Ocean, about 300 mi (500 km) east of Greenland. It is approximately 35 mi long and 9 mi across at its widest point, with an area of 144 sq mi (373 sq km). It is the peak of a submarine volcanic ridge, and Beerenberg volcano (7,470 ft [2,277 m]), the last major eruption of which was in 1732, forms the Nord-Jan, the northeastern region of the island. The remainder, Sør-Jan, the southern region, is low and hilly. There are no harbours. The island is bleak and desolate, and its climate is foggy and stormy, with temperatures ranging from -25° F (-32° C) in December to 50° F (10° C) in July. There is a little tundra, on which a few foxes subsist.

      The island was possibly first sighted in 1607 by Henry Hudson, who called it Hudson's Tutches (Touches). In 1614 a Dutch sea captain, Jan May, claimed territorial rights to the island for his company and Holland. It was early used as a whaling base, but by 1642 the whales had been exterminated from the surrounding waters. It was frequently visited, but the first to winter on the island were the personnel of an Austrian weather station established there during the First International Polar Year (1882–83). A Norwegian meteorological observatory and a radio station were built in 1921, and on May 8, 1929, Norway annexed Jan Mayen. During World War II the U.S. armed forces maintained a weather station there. In 1958–59 an airstrip and a radio and navigation station were erected on the island by the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies. This equipment was extended with a console navigation system in 1970. Apart from the station personnel, the island is uninhabited.

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