Longyearbyen, town in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway, which is located north of the Arctic Circle. Longyearbyen is situated on the Isfjorden in Spitsbergen, Svalbard's main island. Founded in 1906 by the American mining entrepreneur John M. Longyear, for whom it is named, the town is a coal-mining hub and the chief port and administrative center for the isolated island group. An airport is nearby. German warships damaged the town in 1943, during World War II. Population (1997) 1,739.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Longyearbyen Information info
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