The Svalbard archipelago is a Norwegian group of islands located in the Arctic Ocean, about 650 miles (1,050 kilometers) from the North Pole. It is home to the northernmost year-round settlements on Earth, with an overall population of about 2,900. In recent years, Svalbard has been moving its economy more toward tourism and scientific research and away from coal mining, which supported much of the economy since the early 20th century. Gathered below are recent images of the landscapes and inhabitants of Svalbard.

Telecommunication domes of KSAT, Kongsberg Satellite Services, on a mountaintop near Longyearbyen, in the Svalbard archipelago, on May 10, 2022 #

A view of Longyearbyen from above, seen on August 28, 2020 #

Colorful houses stand in a row in Longyearbyen on July 30, 2020. #

A tour guide loads her rifle in Svalbard, Norway, on April 18, 2022. #

A view of mountains near Longyearbyen #

The Taubanesentralen, what used to be the pivot for a cableway to transport coal from the mines to the harbor in the past, stands near the Svalbard Church on May 2, 2022, in Longyearbyen. #

Part of the old coal cableway near Longyearbyen #

An Arctic fox, photographed near Longyearbyen, on August 27, 2020 #

A view of Nordenskiold Glacier melting and collapsing in the ocean, near Pyramiden, Svalbard, on September 22, 2021 #

A hungry polar bear hunts along the shore, near Pyramiden, on September 21, 2021. #

A polar bear walks along the shore near Pyramiden on September 21, 2021. #

A little auk stands on its rocky hillside habitat during a summer heat wave on the Svalbard archipelago on July 29, 2020. #

Husky dogs pull a rig and musher Audun Salte through the town of Longyearbyen on August 6, 2019. #

A reindeer grazes on land in Longyearbyen on August 4, 2019. #

In this aerial view from a drone, water carves a winding channel down the surface of the melting Longyearbyen glacier during a summer heat wave in Svalbard archipelago on July 31, 2020. #

A view of Svalbard's global seed vault on February 25, 2020. The “doomsday” seed vault was built to protect food crops from climate change, wars, and natural disasters, keeping seeds safe deep within an Arctic mountain. #

A view of a super blue blood moon over Longyearbyen on January 31, 2018 #

An Arctic fox walks through snow in Longyearbyen on May 4, 2022. #

A snowmobile-traffic sign, photographed on April 18, 2022 #

A snowmobile expedition in Svalbard, photographed on April 19, 2022 #

A general view of a statue of Lenin standing in the middle of the abandoned ex-Soviet miners' village of Pyramiden, in front of the Nordenskioldbreen glacier in Svalbard, on September 21, 2021. Activity at the coal mine stopped in 1998 after a plane crash killed more than 100 miners, and the village has been abandoned ever since. #

An abandoned administration office in the ex-Soviet miner's village of Pyramiden, on September 21, 2021 #

Conveyor towers once used for transporting coal lead to a defunct mine on the Svalbard archipelago, photographed on August 27, 2020. #

A view of wind-driven waves seen from Longyearbyen harbor on September 23, 2021 #

General view of Nordenskjodbreen glacier on August 25, 2020 #

A reindeer skeleton lies on the ground along the shore near Pyramiden, Svalbard, on September 22, 2021. #

A picture taken on May 2, 2022, shows buildings and houses in Longyearbyen. #

Houses stand at the foot of a mountain near Longyearbyen on August 27, 2020. #

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

A fashion show in Burkina Faso, images from battlefields in Ukraine, the Witches and Wizards Convention in Brazil, a sandstorm in Iraq, electric-scooter racing in England, and much more

Images of Lake Mead, which has reached its lowest water levels since the 1930s

Recent images of the war and resistance in Chernihiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Mariupol, Kyiv, and more

Patriots’ Victory Day in Ethiopia, scenes from the Met Gala, Children’s Day in Japan, images from Ukraine, a wildfire in New Mexico, and much more

TheAtlantic.com Copyright (c) 2022 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All Rights Reserved.