Jan Mayen

Europe

Population

N/A

Area

377 km²

GDP

N/A

GDP Per Capita

N/A

Background

This desolate, mountainous island in the Arctic Ocean 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 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.

Geography16

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 : 377 sq km
land: 377 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

124.1 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain

volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation

highest point: Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277
lowest point: Norwegian/Greenland Seas 0 m

Natural resources

none

Land use

agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)
other: 100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

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 & Society1

Population

total: no permanent inhabitants

Government4

Country 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 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

Legal system

the laws of Norway apply

Flag

the flag of Norway is used

Communications1

Broadcast media

a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994

Military & Security1

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of Norway

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