Jan Mayen Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references

Arctic Region

Area

total: 377 sq km

land: 377 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

124.1 km

Maritime claims

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

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain

volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation

highest point: Haakon VII Toppen on Beerenberg 2,277

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 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

none

Land use

agricultural land: 0% (2011 est.)

other: 100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Natural hazards

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

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)

NOTE: The information regarding Jan Mayen on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Jan Mayen 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Jan Mayen 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.