Longyearbyen (lit. Longyear Town) is the largest settlement and the
administrative center of
Svalbard,
Norway. As of 2013, the town had a population of 2,075. Longyearbyen is located in the
Longyear Valley and on the shore of
Adventfjorden, a bay of
Isfjorden located on the west coast of
Spitsbergen. Since 2002,
Longyearbyen Community Council has had many of the same responsibilities of a
municipality, including utilities, education, cultural facilities, fire department, roads and ports. The town is the seat of the
Governor of Svalbard. It is the World's northernmost settlement of any kind with greater than 1,000 permanent residents.