<P> In 2016, Svalbard had a population of 2,667, of which 423 were Russian and Ukrainian, 10 Polish and 322 non-Norwegians living in Norwegian settlements . The largest non-Norwegian groups in Longyearbyen in 2005 were from Thailand, Sweden, Denmark, Russia and Germany . </P> <P> Longyearbyen is the largest settlement on the archipelago, the seat of the governor and the only town to be incorporated . The town features a hospital, primary and secondary school, university, sports center with a swimming pool, library, culture center, cinema, bus transport, hotels, a bank, and several museums . The newspaper Svalbardposten is published weekly . Only a small fraction of the mining activity remains at Longyearbyen; instead, workers commute to Sveagruva (or Svea) where Store Norske operates a mine . Sveagruva is a dormitory town, with workers commuting from Longyearbyen weekly . </P> <P> Ny - Ålesund is a permanent settlement based entirely around research . Formerly a mining town, it is still a company town operated by the Norwegian state - owned Kings Bay . While there is some tourism there, Norwegian authorities limit access to the outpost to minimize impact on the scientific work . Ny - Ålesund has a winter population of 35 and a summer population of 180 . The Norwegian Meteorological Institute has outposts at Bjørnøya and Hopen, with respectively ten and four people stationed . Both outposts can also house temporary research staff . Poland operates the Polish Polar Station at Hornsund, with ten permanent residents . </P> <P> Barentsburg is the only permanently inhabited Russian settlement after Pyramiden was abandoned in 1998 . It is a company town: all facilities are owned by Arktikugol, which operates a coal mine . In addition to the mining facilities, Arktikugol has opened a hotel and souvenir shop, catering for tourists taking day trips or hikes from Longyearbyen . The village features facilities such as a school, library, sports center, community center, swimming pool, farm and greenhouse . Pyramiden features similar facilities; both are built in typical post-World War II Soviet architectural and planning style and contain the world's two most northerly Lenin statues and other socialist realism artwork . As of 2013, a handful of workers are stationed in the largely abandoned Pyramiden to maintain the infrastructure and run the hotel, which has been re-opened for tourists . </P>

Region near the arctic circle known for its reindeer