2038 NORWAY (Svalbard) - Svalbard Archipelago (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

2038 Svalbard - The peak Newtontoppen on Spitsbergen Island

Svalbard, formerly known as Spitsbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, situated about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole. The largest island is Spitsbergen, followed by Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. In 2012, Svalbard had an estimated population of 2,642, and Longyearbyen is the largest settlement. It isn't part of any Norwegian county, but rather forms an unincorporated area administered by a governor.

1452 NORWAY (Svalbard) - An aurora borealis seen from Svalbard archipelago

Nature gives us a lot of amazing performances, but none is so impressive, mysterious and beautiful as the aurora, a show of light and color that can be seen on the sky of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Those who lived this experience say it can't be compared with anything in the world, and the photos seem to give them right. Scientifically speaking, an aurora is a natural light display in the sky, caused by charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, entering the atmosphere from above causing ionisation and excitation of atmospheric constituents, and consequent optical emissions. When it occurs in the northern hemisphere (from September to October, and from March to April), the phenomenon is known as the aurora borealis (or the northern lights), a term originally used by Galileo Galilei, referring to the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and to the Titan who represent the winds, Boreas.