About the map
As a keen traveler intrigued by remote places, I hope to someday visit Svalbard. I am also a retired US National Park Service cartographer who enjoys making maps as a pastime—it's hard to shake the mapping habit. The map that follows is a general reference for people interested in these arctic islands of northern lights, polar bears, and walruses.
Mapping Svalbard was made easier thanks to publically-available geospatial data released by the Norwegian Polar Institute. Nevertheless, I had to remap coastlines, glaciers, and lakes, which are in constant flux due to the warming climate. Be advised that the information on this map is but a snapshot in time.
I hope that you will find this map informative and useful.
July 6, 2024
Get the map: Pick the version best for you
Last update: Version 1.0, July 2, 2024 Change log
Screen viewing and high-quality printing:
RGB JPEG image, 28 x 27.3 inches, 11,186 x 10,938 pixels, 15.2 MB
Svalbard: Norway's High-Arctic Archipelago
Visitor Map
Additional files for GIS and mapmaking
Georeferenced raster map GeoTIF, 46.3 MB
Terrain art without type GeoTIF, 40.2 MB
Terms of use
This map was made with geospatial data generously provided by others that require attribution. You are welcome to reproduce, distribute, or modify the map on condition that the sources are cited.
By downloading and using this map you agree that the map author (Tom Patterson) is not legally responsible for any errors that the map may contain. You are solely responsible for all problems that may arise from reuse of the map and distribution to third parties. Tom Patterson does not necessarily endorse the individuals or organizations that may use the map, nor does he endorse their positions on issues.
This tourist map is for general reference only. Do not use it for marine navigation, aerial navigation, or overland travel.
The map measures 71 x 69 centimeters (28 x 27.3 inches) at 1:750,000-scale.
Going mobile
Point your phone's camera here to get the map.
Locate yourself while travelling with the free Avenza Maps app for iOS and Android. It works when you are off the grid using the built-in GPS 0n your phone or tablet.
Modifying the map:
Layered Adobe Illustrator CC file with MAPublisher georeferencing, includes terrain art, 91.9 MB
Data sources
Coastline, glaciers, and lakes - Norwegian Polar Institute. These data received major updates based on an August 2020 Sentinel satellite mosaic. geodata.npolar.no
Bathymetry – General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). www.gebco.net
Place names – Norwegian Polar Institute. geodata.npolar.no
Places of interest - Multiple sources
• Open Street Map. download.geofabrik.de
• This is Svalbard, 2024 guidebook. www.iguide.pro
• Wikipedia.
2019 town populations – Wikipedia.
Locator Map – Natural Earth II vector data. naturalearthdata.com
Shaded relief – Norwegian Polar Institute, 50m DEM. geodata.npolar.no
Land Cover – European Space Agency, 10m raster data collected in 2021. esa-worldcover.org/en