Sør-Spitsbergen National Park
Encyclopedia
Sør-Spitsbergen National Park lies on south end of Spitsbergen
island in the Svalbard
archipelago, Norway
. The park was opened in 1973 and includes Wedel Jarlsberg Land
, Torell Land
and Sørkapp Land
. Over 65% of the region is covered with glacier
or permanent ice and snow.
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
island in the Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
archipelago, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The park was opened in 1973 and includes Wedel Jarlsberg Land
Wedel Jarlsberg Land
Wedel Jarlsberg Land is the land area between Van Keulenfjorden and Hornsund on the southwestern part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The area is largely covered with glaciers, and is completely within the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park. Wedel Jarlsberg Land is named after Baron Fritz Wedel Jarlsberg....
, Torell Land
Torell Land
Torell Land is a land area at the southeast part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. It is named after Otto Martin Torell. The glaciers Hornbreen and Hambergbreen divide Torell Land from Sørkapp Land.Torell Land is included in the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park....
and Sørkapp Land
Sørkapp Land
Sørkapp Land is the land area south of the fjord Hornsund, at the southern part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The glaciers Hornbreen and Hambergbreen divide Sørkapp Land from the Torell Land.Sørkapp Land is included in the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park....
. Over 65% of the region is covered with glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
or permanent ice and snow.