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Svalbard was undoubtedly spotted by Willem Barentsz in 1596, although it may have previously have been discovered by Pomors or Norsemen. Whaling for bowhead whale started in 1611, which was dominated by English and Dutch companies, although also other countries participated. The activity was aggressive as there was no agreement about sovereignty. Whaling stations, the largest being Smeerenburg, were built during the 17th century, but gradually whaling decreased were operations became pelagic. Hunting was carried out from the 17th century by Pomors, but from the 19th century it became more dominated by Norwegians. Exploration was initially conducted to find new whaling grounds, but from the 18th century some scientific exploration took place. These started out as large expeditions, but from the late 19th century they became smaller and increasingly focused on the interior. The most important scientific explorers were Baltazar Mathias Keilhau, Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld and Martin Conway. Sustainable mining started in 1906 with the establishment of Longyearbyen and by the 1920s, permanent coal mining settlements had been established at Barentsburg, Grumant, Pyramiden, Svea and Ny-Ålesund. The Svalbard Treaty came into effect in 1925, granting Norway sovereignty of the archipelago, but prohibiting "warlike activities" and establishing all signatories the right to mine. This both eliminated the ''mare liberum'' status of the islands, and also saw a name change from the Spitsbergen Archipelago to Svalbard. By the 1930s, all settlements were either Norwegian or Soviet. During the Second World War, the settlements were first evacuated and then bombed by the ''Kriegsmarine'', but rebuilt after the war. During the Cold War there were increased tensions between Norway and the Soviet Union, particularly regarding the building of an airport. There was a limited oil drilling and in 1973 more than half the archipelago was protected. Starting in the 1970s, Longyearbyen underwent a process to "normalize" to become a regular community. Arktikugol closed Grumant in 1962 and Pyramiden in 1998, while King Bay had to close mining at Ny-Ålesund after the Kings Bay Affair. The 1990s and 2000s have seen major reductions of the Russian population and the creation of scientific establishments in Ny-Ålesund and Longyearbyen. Tourism has also increased and become a major component of the economy of Longyearbyen. ==Discovery== There is no conclusive evidence of the first human activity on Svalbard. Swedish archeologist Hans Christiansson found flint and slate objects he identified as Stone Age tools dating from ca. 3000 BC, but there is little support among his peers as no dwelling place has been found.〔Arlov (1994): 12〕 During the 19th century, Norwegian historians proposed that Norse seamen had found Svalbard in 1194. This is based on annals that found ''Svalbarði'' four days sailing from Iceland. Although it forms the basis for the modern name of the archipelago, there is no scientific consensus that supports the hypothesis. Russian historians have proposed that Russian Pomors may have visited the island as early as the 15th century.〔Arlov (1994): 13〕 This line was largely pursued by Soviet scholars, but again, no conclusive evidence has been found.〔Arlov (1994): 14〕 The first undisputedly to have discovered the archipelago is an expedition led by the Dutch mariner Willem Barentsz, who was looking for the Northern Sea Route to China.〔Arlov (1994): 9〕 He first spotted Bjørnøya on 10 June 1596〔Arlov (1994): 10〕 and the northwestern tip of Spitsbergen on 17 June.〔 The sighting of the archipelago was included in the accounts and maps made by the expedition and Spitsbergen was quickly included by cartographers.〔Arlov (1994): 11〕 Henry Hudson explored the islands in 1607. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Svalbard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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