100TH ANNIVERSARY
On 9 February 1920, representatives of 14 nations signed a treaty stating that the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard - previously an international free-forall - was part of Norway. A century on, the starkly beautiful islands are home to some 2,600 people.
Thanks to concessions in the treaty, many are Russian, living in a town that’s like a lost piece of the USSR. The date most locals will be having a party for is 8 March, when the sun returns after four months.
with withen.visitsvalbard.com
PHOTOGRAPHS: PHILIP LEE HARVEY, RUSH JAGOE