Svalbard

Svalbard

Dependency of Norway (1925-present)

Location: Arctic Ocean

Capital City: Longyearbyen

Government type: Norwegian Dependency

Main languages: Norwegian, Russian

Main religions: Protestant Christianity, Orthodox Christianity

Chronology

1912: Norwegian-Russian agreement designates Svalbard as neutral territory

1920: Svalbard Treaty officially agrees to put the archipelago under Norwegian administration

1925: Norway assumes sovereignty over Svalbard

1940-1945: Administered by Norwegian Government in Exile, population exacuated to Britain and Canadian and British forces garrison the islands to prevent ant German incursions

1941-1945: German troops establish secret weather stations and bombard towns by U-Boat

Currency

Krone (1925-present)

1 Krone = 100 Øre

Ruble (1931-1997)

1 Ruble = 100 Kopek

Note: Svalbard officially uses the Norwegian Krone as its currency, though only a handful of private banknotes in Krone have been made by Norwegian mining companies in Svalbard for use in their company stores until the 1970s. The Russian state-owned mining company Arktikugol (Arctic Coal), operating in Svalbard since 1931, minted tokens, the only metal currency ever made for Svalbard, as well as the world's only currency used exclusively within the Arctic Circle, denominated in Rubles since 1946 for similar purposes in their mining settlements of Pyramiden, Grumant, Colesbutka, and Barentsburg. The tokens have fallen out of use with the decline of Arktikugol's operations in Svalbard, with only the Barentsburg mine still being in operation, and regular Norwegian currency being used instead of the Artikugol tokens.

Coins from Svalbard in the collection

•10 Ruble, 1993 (King Harald V (1991-present), cupronickel-plated steel, Moscow mint, KM#Tn5)

•50 Ruble, 1993 (King Harald V (1991-present), cupronickel-plated steel, Moscow mint, KM#Tn7)

•100 Ruble, 1993 (King Harald V (1991-present), aluminum bronze, Moscow mint, KM#Tn8)