This week 241 children have their first day at school in Longyearbyen, Svalbardposten reports. This is 28 more than last year and the highest number ever. 30 of the children are first graders.
According to Statistics Norway Longyearbyen has 1 821 residents. The largest Russian settlement is Barentsburg with 620 residents. In the past 20 years, Longyearbyen has gone from a homogenous community built up around the mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani, to a more diverse society.
