Longyearbyen is the administrative centre of Svalbard and is located on Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Longyearbyen has approximately 1,800 inhabitants, most of them Norwegians and some Russians. It is the world's northernmost town with over 1000 people. The largest populated settlement more northerly than Longyearbyen is Ny-Ålesund with 30 inhabitants. As the world's northernmost town with 1000 people or more, it has the world's northernmost of many things. See the article on the world's most northern.
Due to its location far north of the Arctic Circle, it is polar night from end-October to mid-February and polar day from mid-April to mid-August. Longyearbyen has an Arctic tundra climate. The Governor of Svalbard resides there.
Mining still plays major role in the community. The Norwegian mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani runs two coal mines in Longyearbyen and Svea, and coal mining employs about half the residents.
Research activities and tourism are growing steadily each year due to its excellent infrastructure.
Nicknamed "Doomsday Vault", Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an Arctic safe capable of storing millions of crop seeds, is located near Longyearbyen. Global Crop Diversity Trust administers the facility. The safe has been designed to protect against natural and human disasters, including global warming, floods and fires, and nuclear holocaust. The site was chosen for both its remoteness and ambient temperature of the permafrost.
Most tourists to Longyearbyen arrive during the spring and summer. The spring is very popular since Spitsbergen is one of the few places in Norway where a snowmobile can be driven in open country without special permission.
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