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- The world’s northernmost town is Longyearbyen, which is located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and has 2,100 citizens.
- It is around three hours by plane from Oslo and 650 miles from the North Pole, making it one of the most remote human settlements on Earth.
- It’s dark for four months a year and light for another four months. There are also more polar bears than there are people.
- Despite its remoteness, Longyearbyen has all the amenities of a modern town, including a school, a church, restaurants, and a cinema.
- It is also the home of the famous doomsday seed vault, which stores every known crop on the planet.
Look at the World Atlas list of the world’s northernmost settlements and you’ll see that many at the very top of the list are located in Svalbard — a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
The first settlement on the list with a population worthy of being described as a town, though, is Longyearbyen, which hosts around 2,100 people who have access to a school, a church, restaurants, and a cinema.
Life in Longyearbyen, despite its amenities, is unlike anywhere else on Earth.
For starters, it’s dark four months a year and perpetually light for another four months. Secondly, it’s suggested residents carry a rifle when travelling outside the town borders — in case they run into a polar bear.
Like many of the settlements in this part of the world, Longyearbyen was established as a mining town, though mining operations have since been phased out of the area.
Now, the town is a place of scientific research and adventure tourism — it is the home of the famous doomsday seed vault, which stores every known crop on the planet.
Scroll down to see what everyday life is like in this extreme neighbourhood.
Warning: This article contains images that some may find disturbing.
Welcome to Longyearbyen — the northernmost town in the world.
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Longyearbyen is located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, which is three hours away from Oslo by plane and about 650 miles from the North Pole.
Google Earth/Tech Insider
Source: Financial Times.
While there are a couple of tiny settlements further in the north, Longyearbyen is the first of any significant size. The town has a population of around 2,100 residents.
REUTERS / Peter Vermeij / Global Crop Diversity Trust / Handout
Source: Visit Svalbard.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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