Longyearbyen, the main settlement of Svalbard, is in Norway.
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, far north of mainland Europe. Norway exercises sovereignty over the territory under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, which recognizes Norwegian sovereignty while granting citizens and companies from treaty nations certain rights, including access for economic activity. Longyearbyen is located on Spitsbergen, the archipelago's largest island.
The settlement began as a coal-mining town. American businessman John Munro Longyear founded the original mining operation in 1906, and the town was later taken over by the Norwegian company Store Norske. Mining shaped Longyearbyen for much of its history, although tourism, scientific research and education have become increasingly important.
Longyearbyen is also the seat of the Governor of Svalbard and home to institutions including the University Centre in Svalbard and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Russia maintains settlements elsewhere on Svalbard, especially Barentsburg, but that does not change the archipelago's status as Norwegian territory.