Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen as the 2023 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 40 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
This desolate, arctic, 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 Beerenberg volcano, the northernmost active volcano on earth, resumed activity in 1970 and the most recent eruption occurred in 1985.
Geography
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
16 fieldsLand useshare of 377 sq km
Note
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Natural hazards
dominated by the volcano Beerenberg
- volcanism:
- Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano;
- volcanic activity resumed in 1970;
- the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
Geography - note
- barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora;
- island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon "bowl") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the "handle"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the "stem") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)
People and Society
10 fieldsPopulation
no indigenous inhabitants note: military personnel operate the the weather and coastal services radio station
Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio:
- NA
- youth dependency ratio:
- NA
- elderly dependency ratio:
- NA
- potential support ratio:
- NA
Environment
3 fieldsLand use(2011 est.)
Environment - current issues
pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds, ocean currents, and rivers accumulate in the food chains of native animals; climate change
Government
4 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- none
- conventional short form:
- Jan Mayen
- etymology:
- named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614
Dependency status
- territory of Norway;
- since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland;
- however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service;
- in 2010, Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve
Communications
1 fieldTransportation
3 fieldsAirports - with unpaved runways
1
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length;
airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Military and Security
1 fieldTransnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Jan Mayen.” The World Factbook 2023. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/jan-mayen/2023.