"text":"This desolate, arctic, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Beerenberg volcano, the northernmost active volcano on earth, resumed activity in 1970 and the most recent eruption occurred in 1985."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"71 00 N, 8 00 W"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Arctic Region"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"377 sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"377 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"0 sq km"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC"
},
"Land boundaries":{
"text":"0 km"
},
"Coastline":{
"text":"124.1 km"
},
"Maritime claims":{
"territorial sea":{
"text":"4 nm"
},
"contiguous zone":{
"text":"10 nm"
},
"exclusive economic zone":{
"text":"200 nm"
},
"continental shelf":{
"text":"200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers"
"text":"Beerenberg volcano has numerous peaks; the highest point on the volcano rim is named Haakon VII Toppen, after Norway's first king following the reestablishment of Norwegian independence in 1905"
"text":"territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service; in 2010 Norway designated the majority of Jan Mayen as a nature reserve"
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply"
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"the flag of Norway is used"
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources, although surrounding waters contain substantial fish stocks and potential untapped petroleum resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island."
}
},
"Communications":{
"Broadcast media":{
"text":"a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994 (2008)"