WTHE WORLD
FACTBOOK
← Country index

Europe / JN

Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen flag
ⓘ

2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Jan Mayen: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: d4c1fe7ae5f9ae5e11c9c306877a27614f9f704615606d5d6ba8c418b3e1e962. Provenance and inspection record.

Introduction

Background:1

This desolate, mountainous island in the Arctic Ocean 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 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:2

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland

Geographic coordinates:3

71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:4

Arctic Region

Area:5

total:377 sq km
land:377 sq km
water:0 sq km

Area - comparative:6

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, D.C.

Land boundaries:7

total:0 km

Coastline:8

124.1 km

Maritime claims:9

territorial sea:12 nm
contiguous zone:24 nm
exclusive economic zone:200 nm
continental shelf:200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:10

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain:11

volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation:12

highest point:Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277
lowest point:Norwegian/Greenland Seas 0 m
note: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

Natural resources:13

none

Land use:14

agricultural land:0% (2011 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land:15

0 sq km (2022)

Natural hazards:16

dominated by the volcano Beerenberg

volcanism:Beerenberg (2,227 m) is Norway's only active volcano; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985

Geography - note:17

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)

People and Society

Population:18

total:no permanent inhabitants
note:military personnel present on the south side of the island; meteorological stations

Environment

Environmental issues:19

pollutants transported from southerly latitudes by winds and ocean currents

Climate:20

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Land use:21

agricultural land:0% (2011 est.)
other:100% (2018 est.)

Government

Country name:22

conventional long form:none
conventional short form:Jan Mayen
etymology:named after Dutch Captain Jan Jacobszoon MAY, one of the first explorers to reach the island in 1614

Dependency status:23

territory of Norway; since 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:24

the laws of Norway apply

Flag:25

the flag of Norway is used

Communications

Broadcast media:26

a coastal radio station has been remotely operated since 1994

Military and Security

Military - note:27

defense is the responsibility of Norway

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Background. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Land boundaries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Maritime claims. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Terrain. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Irrigated land. Reference edition; observation: 2022. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Population. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Environmental issues. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  21. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  22. Country name. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  23. Dependency status. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  24. Legal system. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  25. Flag. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  26. Broadcast media. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
  27. Military - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-08-28 05:45:53 -0400 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition last checked 2026-10-29 (retrieval only). ↩
Source policy ↗Back to top ↑

Countries & territories

Same-year values. Equal values share a rank.

Sources & method

Ranks cover available countries and territories, using the same indicator, source unit and reference year. Unrounded source values determine ties. Coverage is not a sovereign-country or complete global ranking; national definitions may differ. Missing values and other years are excluded. The information icon preserves the original number, unit and evidence.

RankCountry or territoryValue
Source information
International organization