Svalbard, Norway: The island where no one is allowed to die, or give birth
There is an island in the Arctic Ocean called
Svalbard, following Norway.
On this island there are restaurants, cafes, schools, and a university, but there is no birthing ward on its territory, so pregnant women have to go to the mainland in Norway about a month before giving birth.
Perhaps the strangest aspect of life on that island is what happens at the end of it, and that is that the burial of the dead there is illegal, because of the harsh climate and frosty soil is not allowed
The town's small graveyard stopped accepting newcomers in the 1950s, partly because it was feared that the cryogenically preserved bodies could still contained traces of the deadly Spanish flu virus that had killed seven miners back in 1918.
Marked by simple white crosses the old cemetery sits at the base of a steep hill, just out of town. Flanked by the skeletal remains of the long abandoned 2b mine and watched over by the icy fingers of a glacier, I doubt there is a more desolate place to be buried.
If dying is out of the question, so too is giving birth. ".
“When a woman has three weeks left of her pregnancy, she must go back to the mainland to have her baby."
It’s against the law not to carry a gun outside of the settlements
Since 2012, it has been a legal requirement that anyone travelling outside of a settlement must carry a firearm due to the threat posed by polar bears.
Whilst a firearm is essential, it is also highly recommended to carry other ways of scaring a bear including false guns and bangers. If you are participating in one of our tours you will be accompanied by an armed expedition leader responsible for your safety.
It’s highly unlikely you will meet anyone born on Svalbard
Svalbard has no native population. Everyone that lives there is from the outside and women are not allowed to give birth there. Due to the remote location, a few weeks before their due date women are obliged to go to mainland Norway to have their babies.
You can’t be buried in Svalbard
A common myth is that it is illegal to die on Svalbard. In reality it is simply that there are no options for burial on these icy islands. Due to the permafrost bodies do not decompose when buried in the ground, as evidenced by 1918 flu victims who were buried there.
The Global Seed Vault is located in Svalbard
The seed vault is located on the edge of Longyearbyen, close to the airport, and was opened in 2008. While permafrost isn't good for burial, it is excellent for preserving plant samples, a fact that has been put to good use with the establishment of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a back-up plan against the possibility of a global disaster.
Situated in a former coal mine, the seed vault holds copies of all the worlds seeds to ensure against loss in the event of a global crisis. You can see where it gets its nickname ‘The Doomsday Vault’ from.
Long considered "no man's land", Svalbard's archipelago of islands is so remote (74° to 82° north latitude) that no Indigenous people have ever settled here.
Discovered in 1596 by Dutch explorer William Barentsz it wasn't until 1920 that Norway was granted sovereign control over Svalbard through the Spitsbergen Treaty, a treaty with an unusual clause granting 42 other signatories access to the territory.
The result is a multicultural town, with hundreds of Russians, Chileans, Filipino and Thais living and working here.
Watch video below.
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