Dependencies of Norway

Dependency
Biland
Dependencies of Norway (red)
Dependencies of Norway (red)
Largest settlementsNone
(several active research stations)
Dependencies
Leaders
• Monarch
Harald V
• Administrators
Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Area
• Total
2,700,203 km2 (1,042,554 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate
Around 40 scientists

Norway has three dependent territories (Norwegian: biland), all uninhabited and located in the Southern Hemisphere. Bouvet Island (Bouvetøya) is a sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic Ocean.[1] Queen Maud Land is the sector of Antarctica between the 20th meridian west and the 45th meridian east.[2] Peter I Island is a volcanic island located 450 kilometres (280 mi) off the coast of Ellsworth Land of continental Antarctica.[3] Despite being unincorporated areas, neither Svalbard nor Jan Mayen is formally considered a dependency. While the Svalbard Treaty regulates some aspects of that Arctic territory, it acknowledges that the islands are part of Norway. Similarly, Jan Mayen is recognized as an integral part of Norway.

Both Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land are south of 60°S and are thus part of the Antarctic Treaty System. While the treaty does not affect these claims, the only states that recognize Norwegian sovereignty also have Antarctic claims.[4] The dependencies are administered by the Polar Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in Oslo, Norway's capital.[5] Norwegian criminal law, private law and procedural law apply to the dependencies, as do other laws that explicitly state they are valid on the dependencies.[6]

  1. ^ "Bouvet Island". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Dronning Maud Land" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Polar Institute. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Peter I Øy". Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  4. ^ "The Antarctic Treaty". Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Polar Affairs Department". Norwegian Ministry of the Environment. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Lov om Bouvet-øya, Peter I's øy og Dronning Maud Land m.m. (bilandsloven)" (in Norwegian). Lovdata. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2011.