Travel: Svalbard

A young husky pup who will soon be used as a sled dog is seen March 1, 2008, in Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Longyearbyen is the world's most northern easily accessible settlement, with Svalbard Airport just outside town offering regular flights to and from Troms

A dogsled team winds through a pass toward a glacier March 1, 2008, outside Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Longyearbyen is the administrative center of Svalbard and is located on Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago.

A sign warning of polar bears is seen Feb. 25, 2008, outside of Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The bears are a common sight on Svalbard and are known to hunt humans on occasion. The sign reads "Applies to the whole of Svalbard."

Irma Rymo is covered with ice on her way to a glacier by doglsed March 1, 2008, outside Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The average summer temperature is around 5 Celsius or 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and in winter, −12 Celsius or degrees 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

A worker at the Northern Lights observatory carries a gun Feb. 27, 2008, outside Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. No one ventures outside city limits without a gun due to the heavy presence of polar bears in the area.

Irma Rymo peers into an ice cave in a glacier March 1, 2008, outside Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Norwegian and Swedish tourists are served a traditional Russian meal in Barentsburg, Norway on Feb. 28, 2008, on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Svalbard has a population of approximately 2,400 people as of 2005. Approximately 70 percent of the residents are Norwegian; the remaining 30 percent are Russian.

A statue of Lenin stands over Barentsburg, Norway March 1, 2008, on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The official language of Svalbard is Norwegian. Russian is used in the Russian settlements, but formerly, Russenorsk was the lingua franca of the entire Barents Sea region.

A stuffed polar bear stands in the middle of the luggage carousel Feb. 24, 2008, in Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

Irma Rymo of Sweden crawls through an ice cave inside a glacier March 1, 2008, outside Longyearbyen, Norway on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

A snowmobile tour makes its way over a glacier toward Barentsburg, Norway on Feb. 28, 2008, on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The spring is very popular since Spitsbergen is one of the few places in Norway where a snowmobile can be driven in open country without special permission.

The northern lights dance Feb. 29, 2008, over the Spitsbergen Hotel in Longyearbyen, Norway. In Longyearbyen, the midnight sun lasts from April 20 to Aug. 26, and polar night lasts from Oct. 26 to Feb. 15.

Svalbard is an archipelago lying in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. At about 78 degrees north latitude, it is less than 620 miles from the North Pole.