Longyearbyen: the world's northernmost town

Eight hundred kilometres from the North Pole, Longyearbyen is the world's northernmost permanent human settlement, where by law you cannot even be buried in the local cemetery.

Outside the small centre, an armed guide is required due to polar bear risk.

The Svalbard Museum recounts the mining and natural history of the archipelago, from early whale-hunting expeditions to modern settlement.

A few minutes away, the Global Seed Vault, a safe tucked into permafrost that preserves plant seeds from around the world, remains visible only from outside for security reasons.

Moving through the old mining structures, you can observe the remains of the coal industry that gave rise to the settlement in the early twentieth century.

In winter months, far from the few lights of the city, the Northern Lights here are visible with some of the highest frequency in the world due to the extreme latitude.

In Longyearbyen, it is officially forbidden to die: permafrost prevents body decomposition in the local cemetery, so seriously ill residents are transferred to hospitals on the Norwegian mainland.

The Global Seed Vault, carved into the Arctic rock, stores duplicate seeds from seed banks around the world, conceived as an emergency reserve in case of global catastrophe.