How was svalbard formed?

Answer 1

Svalbard is believed to have been discovered as early as the 12th century. The islands were used for fishing, whaling, hunting, etc. Svalbard was first indisputably discovered by the Dutchman Willem Barentsz in 1596. The archipelago would then be settled by the Danish, Dutch, English, French, Norwegians, and Russians. Americans later started establishing bases in Svalbard, but most interests were bought by the Norwegians during World War I.

The first talks of sovereignty of Svalbard occurred in 1910, but was interrupted by WWI. But when the war ended, the Svalbard Treaty was created during the Paris Peace Conference (1920), signing sovereignty over to Norway. Since then, the islands have been an integral part of Norway, and not a dependency or territory, but a region.