by a wide range of flowering and woody plants. Tundra plants 

 and grasses cover the wide lowlands. These polar pastures are the 

 feeding grounds for reindeer. 



The bird life is divided according to whether the habitat is on the 

 coast or inland. Sea birds are much more abundant than those of 

 the interior. They breed in summer along the coasts and migrate 

 southward in winter. The gulls, ducks, geese, and terns each have 

 a definite nesting place. The inland birds, snow buntings, gulls, 

 geese and ptarmigans, nest in places inaccessible to the foxes. 



Most hunting is controlled in Spitsbergen by the Norwegian 

 Government in an attempt to replenish the animal population. 

 The eastern parts of the country are the home of many herds of 

 reindeer, the polar bear, and the arctic fox. 



Sea mammals include whales and seals, both of which have been 

 hunted for hundreds of years. Fishing and whaling have de- 

 creased in recent years. 



RESOURCES AND INDUSTRY 



Coal is one of the most important natural resources of Spits- 

 bergen. It is estimated that the fields contain 9 billion tons of coal. 

 The deposits have been known since the early 1600's when the coal 

 was used locally by the whalers, but systematic mining dates back 

 only to 1905. At that time, an English company began the exploi- 

 tation. Since then, Norwegian, Swedish, Soviet and Dutch mines 

 have opened. 



Although coal of several geologic ages is found, the Tertiary beds 

 are the most abundant and accessible. These seams are nearly 

 horizontal and run from one fiord to another. The coal is of gener- 

 ally good quality. Mining is not a simple matter. The severe 

 climate, the frozen ground, and the short season in which naviga- 

 tion is possible all add to the difficulties. 



In addition to coal, some gypsum, asbestos, iron ore, and marble 

 are found. 



The total population is about 2,700, concentrated mainly on the 

 southwest coast of West Spitsbergen. 



GEOGRAPHY OF THE FENNOSCANNIAN ARCTIC 



Characteristic arctic conditions prevail only in a narrow strip 

 along the northern Scandinavian coast, and in the mountainous or 

 plateau interior of Norway and northernmost Sweden and Finland. 

 Most of this area is considered to be in Lapland. Moderating in- 



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