"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"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> 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":"<p>dominated by the volcano Beerenberg</p><p><strong>volcanism:</strong> Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985</p>"
"text":"barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora; island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon \"bowl\") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the \"handle\"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the \"stem\") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)"
"text":"pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds, ocean currents, and rivers accumulate in the food chains of native animals; climate change"
},
"Climate":{
"text":"arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog"
"text":"named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614"
}
},
"Dependency status":{
"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"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"