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Geography
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: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment—current issues: NA
Environment—international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography—note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran) C base and the weather and coastal services radio station
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Data code: JN
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Norway)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Norway)
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
Economy
Economy—overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island.
Communications
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: radio and meteorological station
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military—note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
*Information obtained from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book.
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