City Europe
Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is a small town far up in the Arctic, on the islands of Svalbard. It is snowy and cold!
Longyearbyen is the main town of Svalbard, a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean. It began as a coal-mining town and today is a center for research and tourism. Statistics Norway counted 2,504 people in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund in 2026.
Longyearbyen, the administrative and activity center of Svalbard (Store norske leksikon), lies in Longyeardalen at the mouth of Adventdalen on Adventfjorden. It was set up in 1905 by the American Arctic Coal Company as Longyear City; coal mining shaped it for a century, and its last coal extraction ended in 2025. Statistics Norway's register counted 2,504 people in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund in 2026.
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen is a town on Svalbard, a group of islands far in the north.
It sits in a valley between snowy mountains, next to the sea.
Longyearbyen is the administrative and activity center of Svalbard, says Store norske leksikon, Norway's big encyclopedia. It lies in a valley called Longyeardalen, where the wide Adventdalen valley meets the Adventfjorden fjord.
Statistics Norway counted 2,504 people living in Longyearbyen and the small settlement of Ny-Ålesund in 2026, most of them in Longyearbyen. The town was first called Longyear City.
Store norske leksikon (article by Susan Barr): originally Longyear City, named after John Munro Longyear; the administrative and activity center of Svalbard, in Longyeardalen at the mouth of Adventdalen on Adventfjorden; in 2024 just over 2,500 people were registered in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund, the great majority in Longyearbyen; about 58 percent aged 20-44 and 38 percent foreign citizens. Statistics Norway (Population of Svalbard, updated 14 October 2026, from the Population Register of Svalbard): 2,504 people in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund in the second half of 2026 (1,312 males, 1,192 females); the register covers everyone who plans to live on Svalbard for more than six months.
- Where
- in Longyeardalen, at the mouth of Adventdalen on Adventfjorden, Svalbard (Store norske leksikon)
- People in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund (2026, Statistics Norway)
- 2,504
- First name
- Longyear City, after John Munro Longyear (Store norske leksikon)
- Role
- the administrative and activity center of Svalbard (Store norske leksikon)
A valley town under the mountains
Look at the colorful buildings on the white snow!
Behind the town, snowy mountains stretch far away.
The photographer, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, took this photo on 14 April 2022 from a mountainside. He describes it as the newer parts of Longyearbyen, on the east side of the river, with the Adventdalen valley stretching away behind and the peak called Sukkertoppen at the right, next to the town.
Store norske leksikon lists the Svalbard Museum, the University Centre in Svalbard and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in or near the town. On Wikidata, the museum and the university center are about 0.8 kilometers from the town's point.
Commons: 'Longyearbyen-as-of-2022', own work by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen (CC BY-SA 4.0), 14 April 2022 12:55; his description: the newer parts of Longyearbyen on the east side of the river, Adventdalen stretching away on the right below Operafjellet, Sukkertoppen the peak on the right next to the town, the school and the sports hall at the bottom right. Store norske leksikon: Svalbard Museum, hotels, restaurants, cafés, shops, art galleries; UNIS (University Centre in Svalbard), a folk high school (first students autumn 2019), the EISCAT Svalbard radar, the Svalbard satellite station (SvalSat), research institutions and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in or near the town. Wikidata, from the town point (Q25923): Svalbard Museum (Q1327658) 0.77 km NNE; University Centre in Svalbard (Q1543126) 0.78 km NNE; Sukkertoppen (Q21789603), 371 m, 1.04 km SSE; Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Q201013) 3.86 km WNW.
- In the photo
- the newer parts of Longyearbyen, east of the river, on 14 April 2022 (the photographer's description)
- Svalbard Museum and the University Centre in Svalbard
- about 0.8 km north-northeast of the town's point (Wikidata)
- Svalbard Global Seed Vault
- in or near the town (Store norske leksikon); about 3.9 km west-northwest of the town's point (Wikidata)
From coal town to research town
Long ago, people came to Longyearbyen to dig coal out of the mountains.
Now many people there work in research or show visitors around.
Store norske leksikon says the American Arctic Coal Company set up the town in 1905 and named it Longyear City, after the company's founder, John Munro Longyear. In 1916 a Norwegian company, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani, bought it.
For a long time it was a company town, where the mining company ran most things. Mining shrank over the years, and coal extraction at Mine 7, east of the town, ended in 2025. More and more people now work in tourism and research.
Store norske leksikon: set up in 1905 by the American Arctic Coal Co. and named Longyear City after the company's founder John Munro Longyear (1850-1922); bought in 1916 by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNSK); rebuilt and enlarged after the Second World War; long a 'company town' where SNSK ran most activity and infrastructure; in 1989 the usual community services were split off into their own companies; as mining became less profitable and the environment weighed more, mining was cut back sharply; 101 people worked in coal in 2018, and coal extraction at Mine 7 in Adventdalen ended in 2025; the local power plant switched from coal to diesel in mid-October 2023 as a stopgap; more and more residents work in tourism and research.
- Set up
- 1905, by the American Arctic Coal Company (Store norske leksikon)
- 1916
- bought by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (Store norske leksikon)
- 2025
- coal extraction at Mine 7 in Adventdalen ended (Store norske leksikon)
Planes, boats and the long winter
Airplanes fly to Longyearbyen every day.
Long ago, people could only come by boat, and only for part of the year.
Before 1975, says Store norske leksikon, Svalbard and Longyearbyen were linked to the Norwegian mainland only by boat, for up to seven months of the year. Svalbard Airport opened in 1975 west of the town, and now there are daily flights to Tromsø or Oslo.
The boat season now lasts almost the whole year, because sea ice is often missing and charts and other navigation aids have improved.
Store norske leksikon: before 1975 Svalbard and Longyearbyen were linked to the mainland by boat for up to seven months a year; Svalbard Airport opened in 1975 at Hotellneset west of the town, and air traffic grew to daily scheduled flights between Tromsø or Oslo; the boat season has been extended to almost the whole year, as sea ice is often absent and sea charts and other navigation aids have improved. Wikidata: Svalbard Airport (Q59633), inception 1975, 5.02 km NW of the town point.
- Svalbard Airport
- opened in 1975 at Hotellneset, west of the town (Store norske leksikon)
- Flights
- daily flights to Tromsø or Oslo (Store norske leksikon)
- Before 1975
- linked to the mainland only by boat, for up to seven months a year (Store norske leksikon)
Cold all year, and dry
Longyearbyen is cold in almost every month!
Only in summer does the average go a little above freezing.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for the Svalbard weather station near Longyearbyen, for 1991 to 2020, show a monthly average below freezing from October to May. March is the coldest month, at about −12 °C, and July the warmest, at about 7 °C.
Very little rain and snow fall: about 207 millimeters in a whole year. September is the wettest month, with 23.9 millimeters, and May the driest, with 7.7.
Japan Meteorological Agency, world normals (period 1991-2020 as stated on the normals index), station 'Svalbard' (78.25° N, 15.47° E, 28 m): monthly mean temperature −10.9, −11.6, −12.1, −8.9, −2.1, 3.6, 7.0, 6.0, 2.0, −3.8, −6.4, −9.2 °C (Jan-Dec); monthly precipitation 19.6, 15.8, 17.6, 9.8, 7.7, 8.6, 19.7, 22.6, 23.9, 17.4, 21.3, 23.2 mm; sum 207.2 mm. JMA gives means only (no daily highs and lows). The station point is 5.24 km northwest of the town's Wikidata point.
- Coldest month, average temperature (JMA, Svalbard station, 1991–2020)
- March, −12.1 °C
- Warmest month, average temperature (same table)
- July, 7.0 °C
- Precipitation in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 207 mm
Research, tourism and festivals
The town has a museum, a university center, shops and cafés.
People come for music festivals and ski races!
Store norske leksikon says Longyearbyen has the Svalbard Museum, hotels, restaurants, cafés, shops and art galleries, as well as a hospital, kindergartens and schools. The University Centre in Svalbard is there too, and many research institutions work in or near the town.
The town is known for music festivals and sports events such as ski and running marathons. In 2024, about 58 percent of the people registered there were between 20 and 44 years old.
Store norske leksikon: Svalbard Museum, several modern hotels, restaurants, cafés, shops, art galleries and tourist organizations; Longyearbyen local council, a hospital, kindergartens, a primary and lower secondary school, an upper secondary school and the foundation UNIS (University Centre in Svalbard); a folk high school since autumn 2019; the EISCAT radar, SvalSat and research institutions; the newspaper Svalbardposten, established in 1948, weekly until mid-October 2023, then monthly with a web edition; known through tourism for music festivals and sports events such as ski and running marathons; in 2024 about 58 percent of registered residents were 20-44 years old and 38 percent were foreign citizens; in 2023 just over 70 children attended kindergarten.
- Newspaper
- Svalbardposten, set up in 1948 (Store norske leksikon)
- Events
- music festivals and sports events such as ski and running marathons (Store norske leksikon)
- People
- in 2024, about 58 percent aged 20 to 44 (Store norske leksikon)
Longyearbyen on the map
Find the top of the globe, near the North Pole. Longyearbyen is on islands there, far north of Norway.
Longyearbyen lies at about 78.22° north and 15.63° east, on Svalbard, far up in the Arctic. It sits where the Longyeardalen valley opens onto Adventfjorden.
On Wikidata, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is about 3.9 kilometers west-northwest of the town's point, and Svalbard Airport about 5 kilometers northwest.
Longyearbyen lies at about 78.22° N, 15.63° E (Wikidata point of Longyearbyen, Q25923; the sheet point is 1.89 km W of it). Store norske leksikon: in Longyeardalen at the mouth of Adventdalen on Adventfjorden. Wikidata from the town point: Svalbard Global Seed Vault 3.86 km WNW; Adventdalen (Q379820, first point) 3.82 km E; Svalbard Airport 5.02 km NW.
- Latitude
- about 78.22° north
- Longitude
- about 15.63° east
- Fjord
- Adventfjorden (Store norske leksikon)
Amazing facts
-
Long ago, the only way to reach Longyearbyen was by boat!
Store norske leksikon says that before the airport opened in 1975, boats linked Longyearbyen to the mainland for only up to seven months a year.
Store norske leksikon: before 1975, boat transport for up to seven months a year; Svalbard Airport opened in 1975 at Hotellneset.
-
A vault for keeping seeds, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, is near Longyearbyen!
Store norske leksikon lists the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in or near the town; on Wikidata it is about 3.9 kilometers west-northwest of the town's point.
Store norske leksikon: Svalbard globale frøhvelv in or near the town. Wikidata: Q201013, 3.86 km WNW of the town point.
-
Only from June to September is the average temperature above freezing!
In the JMA averages for 1991 to 2020, the Svalbard station's monthly average is above 0 °C only from June to September.
JMA 1991–2020, Svalbard: monthly means 3.6 (Jun), 7.0 (Jul), 6.0 (Aug), 2.0 °C (Sep); all other months below 0 °C.
Words to know
- Arctic
- the very cold region around the North Pole
- fjord
- a long, narrow arm of the sea between steep mountains
- company town
- a town where one company runs most of the work, homes and services
- coal
- a black rock dug from the ground and burned for heat and power
- seed vault
- a safe store that keeps seeds so plants can be grown again in the future
- register
- an official list, such as a list of the people who live in a place
Discovery challenge
-
Longyearbyen is on which Arctic islands?
Longyearbyen is the main town of which group of Arctic islands?
Longyearbyen is the administrative and activity center of which archipelago?
- Svalbard
- Hawaii
- The Canary Islands
Show the answer
Svalbard
Svalbard!
Svalbard.
Svalbard.
-
What did people first dig out of the mountains at Longyearbyen?
Which fuel did the Arctic Coal Company come to mine at Longyearbyen?
Extraction of which fuel at Mine 7 ended in 2025?
- Coal
- Gold
- Salt
Show the answer
Coal
Coal!
Coal.
Coal.
-
What was Longyearbyen's first name?
What was Longyearbyen first called?
Under which name did the Arctic Coal Company set up the town in 1905?
- Longyear City
- Snow Town
- Port Arctic
Show the answer
Longyear City
Longyear City!
Longyear City, after John Munro Longyear.
Longyear City, after the company's founder, John Munro Longyear.
-
Which month is the coldest at Longyearbyen?
In the 1991–2020 averages, which is the coldest month at the Svalbard station?
Which month has the lowest monthly mean temperature in the JMA 1991–2020 normals for Svalbard?
- March
- July
- October
Show the answer
March
March!
March, at −12.1 °C.
March, −12.1 °C.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Longyearbyen on Svalbard, far north in the Arctic.
- Describe how a coal-mining town changed into a research and tourism town.
- Explain what a fjord, a company town and a seed vault are.
- Read a climate table where most months average below freezing.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- How would life change in a town that could only be reached by boat for part of the year?
- Why might scientists want to study the Arctic from a town like Longyearbyen?
- Why might people want to store seeds in a very cold place?
Try at home or in class
- Temperature line: mark Longyearbyen's twelve monthly averages on a line with 0 °C in the middle and color the months above freezing.
- Seed box: collect a few seeds, label them and keep them in a cool, dry box, like a tiny seed vault.
- Map trip: on a globe, trace the flight from Oslo to Tromsø to Longyearbyen.
Key vocabulary: Arctic, fjord, company town, coal, seed vault, register
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Longyearbyen , Store norske leksikon
- Population of Svalbard , Statistics Norway (SSB)
- 平年値データ (Normals data): Svalbard , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:Longyearbyen-as-of-2022.jpg (Bjørn Christian Tørrissen) , Wikimedia Commons
- World station normals (search by region and country) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.