Ownership of the remote archipelago of Svalbard, the northernmost settlement in the world with a permanent population, has been debated since the Napoleonic Wars. Until relatively though, hunters, fishermen, science expeditions and adventurers have jointly negotiated this fragile polar wilderness. With the discovery of mineral deposits this all changed. The Treaty on Svalbard was signed in Paris 9 February 1920, and since 17 July 1925 Svalbard has been part of The Kingdom of Norway. The treaty gave all forty signatory countries the right to freely access the islands, one of only two places in the world to be governed so
In recent years, in the light of climate change increasing the accessibility of oil and gas reserves in the Arctic Ocean, the treaty is a point of diplomatic dispute. Russian and Norway have affirmed their rights to the lands by maintaining a continuous settlement and mineral extraction sites. China is now increasingly interested in the region as it questions the sovereignty and ownership of the islands. Hydrocarbon extraction is set to remain an economic drive across this fragile polar region for decades to come.
