Glaciers cover 60% of Svalbard
The remote Arctic archipelago of Svalbard lies halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole and is home to the nation's eighteen largest glaciers.
On March 20, 2015, this will be one of only two locations for viewing the expected solar eclipse. Svalbard is also home of the Global Seed Vault.
Svalbard also has a literary connection. British author Philip Pullman used it as a location in His Dark Materials, an award-winning fantasy series that was later filmed. The armored talking bear Iorek Byrnison is a character who befriends Lyra, the protagonist of this memorable trilogy.