Cultural Context
HISTORY & CULTURE
The Svalbard archipelago is made of up four large mountainous islands and hundreds of smaller ones. Spitsbergen was home to several whaling stations for many years until the whaling populations around the island collapsed. At one time, there were 50 whaling stations in Svalbard, the remnants of which can be seen today; blubber ovens, campsites, harpoons and whale bones serve as a reminder of the island’s history. At Smeerenberg, passengers can visit a memorial erected in 1906, to honor whalers who lost their lives there in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Trappers and walrus hunters followed the collapse of the whaling industry. Abandoned camps remain throughout the islands. In the early 1900s, mining became a major industry on Spitsbergen, and continues today.
Did You Know? Approximately 75% of the population is Norwegian; the remaining 25% Russian and Ukrainian. Svalbard’s official language is Norwegian.
16 | QUARK EXPEDITIONS
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