Spitsbergen: Street Scene In Longyearbyen Editorial Image

The photo shows modern and older houses in Longyearbyen, which is the largest settlement and the administrative center of Svalbard, Norway. As of 2008, the town had a population of 2,040. Longyearbyen is located on the shore of Adventfjorden, a bay of Isfjorden, located on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Longyearbyen has a road network stretching 50 kilometers (30 mi), but it does not extend to any other community. In 2008 there were 1,481 registered road vehicles and 49 percent of all households had a car. Cars are registered with ZN on the license plates. Snowmobiles, in summer parked in front of the houses (in the background), are a popular mode of transportation. In 2008 there were registered 2,672 snowmobiles, and 69 percent of households owned at least one. Off-road motorized transport is prohibited on bare ground, but snowmobiles are used extensively during winter—both for commercial and recreational activities. Transport from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg (45 km or 28 mi) - photo of Barentsburg elsewhere in my portfolio - is possible by snowmobile in winter, or by ship all year round. (adapted from Wikipedia) Please, check out my portfolio for more photos of Spitsbergen!