Svalbard

American  

[svahl-bahr] / ˈsvɑl bɑr /

noun

1. Norwegian name of Spitsbergen.

---

Svalbard British  

/ ˈsvaːlbar /

noun

1. Also called: Spitsbergen.  a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, about 650 km (400 miles) north of Norway: consists of the main group (Spitsbergen, North East Land, Edge Island, Barents Island, and Prince Charles Foreland) and a number of outlying islands; sovereignty long disputed but granted to Norway in 1920; coal mining. Administrative centre: Longyearbyen. Pop: 1970 (2013 est). Area: 62 050 sq km (23 958 sq miles)

---

Example Sentences

A polar bear cub travels the icy Svalbard coast with its mother.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

In contrast, Aphaneramma fossils have been discovered in rocks of similar age in Svalbard in the Scandinavian Arctic, the Russian Far East, Pakistan, and Madagascar.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

At the height of the Cold War, Moscow operated an airport on Svalbard and three mining towns complete with state-of-the-art health facilities and 24-hour canteens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Translated from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison, “Snow Fox” follows Rana, an arctic fox who lives in the remote northern reaches of Svalbard, Norway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

There were wide currents full of meaning flowing fast around her; the Gobblers and their cruelty, their fear of Dust, the city in the Aurora, her father in Svalbard, her mother....And where was she?

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman