No permanent inhabitants
Jan Mayen
Key facts and a structured country profile. 🧾 Change log 📐 True Size
Locator 🗺️ Map
377 sq km
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
🧭 Background
This desolate, mountainous island in the Arctic Ocean was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg volcano, the northernmost active volcano on earth, resumed activity in 1970, and the most recent eruption occurred in 1985.
🗺️ Geography
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
71 00 N, 8 00 W
Arctic Region
377 sq km
377 sq km
0 sq km
Slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.
0 km
124.1 km
12 nm
24 nm
200 nm
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277
Norwegian/Greenland Seas 0 m
None
0% (2011 est.)
100% (2018 est.)
0 sq km (2022)
Dominated by the volcano Beerenberg volcanism: Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985
Barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora; island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon "bowl") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the "handle"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the "stem") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)
👥 People and Society⬆️ Top
No permanent inhabitants
🌿 Environment⬆️ Top
Pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds and ocean currents
Arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
0% (2011 est.)
100% (2018 est.)
🏛️ Government⬆️ Top
None
Jan Mayen
Named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614
Territory of Norway; since 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service; in 2010, Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve
The laws of Norway apply
The flag of Norway is used
📡 Communications⬆️ Top
A coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994
🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top
Defense is the responsibility of Norway
Source: Factbook JSON archive.