Last modified: 2005-04-02 by phil nelson
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by António Martins
ISO Code: SJ SJM 744
MARC Code: integrated into Norway
IOC Code: Not applicable
Status: dependencies of Norway
Just for the record, the Norwegian dependencies in the Arctic are Svalbard (Spitzbergen) and Jan Mayen. The national flag of Norway is the appropriate flag.
Neither Jan Mayen, nor Svalbard, nor the Antarctic dependencies have flags
of their own.
Jan Oskar Engene, 19 November 1995, 16 October 1997
Svalbard (also referred to as Spitzenberg in the past) consists of all land masses between 74° and 81° North and 10°-13° East. It encompasses approximately 62,043 km2
Svalbard is first mentioned in Icelandic annals dating from 1194. The first known exploration was in 1596 led by William Barentsz (Dutch).
On 9 February 1920 Norway ws granted sovereignty over the area which went into effect on 14 August 1925.
Svalbard has two major islands: Spitzenbergen and Bjørnøya (Bear Island).
Settlements are limited to mining and research communities and include:
Jan Mayen is a volcanic island located 71° N and 8°W with an area of 373km2.
The island was discovered by Jan Jacobs May von Schellinkhout and named for him by his first mate and mapmaker. Jan Mayen was a center of whaling activity until 1640-1650.
Jan Mayen was selected by Austria as a base for the first International Polar Year (1882-83). In 1921 Norway established a meteorological station on Jan Mayen and annexed it by decree on 8 May 1929 and on 27 February 1930 it was annexed formally by law.
Jan Mayen is uninhabited except for personnel to keep the LORAN-C and meteorological stations running.
Svalbard (Spitzbergen) and Jan Mayen are two distinct dependencies of Norway, put here together according to the ISO-3166.
Until 1994 Jan Mayen and Svalbard was governed by the Sysselmann (Governor) of Svalbard. Maybe this is the reason why they share an ISO-code. From August 1994 the administration of Jan Mayen was taken over by the Fylkesmann (County Governor) of Nordland. As others have noted, Jan Mayen has permanently staffed defence and meteorological stations.
Jan Mayen is an integral part of the Kingdom of Norway, just like Svalbard
is. Consequently, neither are dependencies in the usual sense of that term.
The only Norwegian dependencies are Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen
Maud Land. All three dependencies are situated in Antarctica
and have no permanent inhabitants.
unattributed
Franciae Vexilla # 16/62 (December 1999) has its main contribution on Svalbard archipelago, with a very limited flag-related content.
Ivan Sache, 19 December 1999- Between 1896 and 1913, private post stamps were released, one of them showing the "first blazon of Svalbard". The shield is azure with a polar bear, a white star in chief and another, tilted white star in point. A scroll above the shield reads SPITSBERGEN.
- In 1989 were adopted the arms of the Norwegian governor : an azure shield with silver islands fimbriated in gold and golden scripture (in chief SYSSELMANNEN, in point SVALBARD). The position was suppressed in 1994 when the archipelago was attached to the fylke (county) of Nordland.
- The flag of Svalbard is rectangular with blue and white vairs, charged with a golden armed lion fimbriated in black.
As far as I know, the 1989 "arms" are only an unofficial logo used by Sysselmannen (the governor) in advertisements, etc. These "arms" have never been officially approved by the proper authorities. The proper insignia for the governor is the Norwegian national coat of arms.
The position of sysselmann (governor) is still valid and Svalbard has not been attached to the county of Nordland. Svalbard is a separate administrative entity.
I suppose FV used an article in Nordisk
Flaggkontakt. In that article the information that the
Norwegian-lion-on-a-field-of-vair-blue-and-white was a proposal that was never
approved was printed in bold to avoid misunderstandings.
Jan Oskar Engene, 20 December 1999
Some time ago I saw a flag associated with Svalbard
(perhaps in the Norman flags poster). It was horizontal a three band with a
whale in center. I don't remember exactly and I can't find the drawing that I
made then, but seems that I recollect Y-W-B with a whale. Today I have more
details about the flag: the upper stripe is red (quoted as "rood" in
Dutch) and rest is according my description. I can't understand the article
(being in Dutch) but seems that is a flag related with Wilhem Barentz and the
Nederlandsche Noordsche compagnie (c. 1600).
Jaume Ollé, 28 July 1999
The Dutch Noordsche Compagnie (Nordic Company) was founded 27
January 1614 by patent from the States General. It received the monopoly for
whaling in the area between Nova Zembla and Street Davis. On Spitsbergen
(Dutch for Svalbard) the settlement Smerenburg was founded. The company was
dissolved in 1642, due to competition from both the Danish Islandic Company
and Dutch cities who broke the monopoly. In 1645 the States General gave the
whaling free for competition.
Source: Nijhoffs Geschiedenis-lexicon Nederland en België,
1981.
I've seen twice small (unclear) depictions of paintings with the Dutch tricolour and the whale in the centre, waving on what seems to be a whaling station. However I don't have further information, and I still have some questions:
Mark Sensen, 31 July 19991) was it the flag of the Dutch Nordic Company, or of private whalers?
2) on the photo's of the paintings I saw, in one the whale is facing the hoist of the flag, on the other facing the fly. Which is correct (I presume the first)?
3) is the whale spurting water or not?
4) did the upper stripe change from orange to red, like the national flag itself, or did only one of these versions exist? (BTW, I think the yellow mentioned by Jaume must have been light orange).