This piece of land, made up of a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean, is where polar bears say goodnight and Lenin statues oversee the smooth running of Stakhanovite coal mining standards. There are some interesting photos from the capital, Longyearbyen, the former mining settlement of Pyramiden and the still ‘functional’ Barentsburg. In short, Spitsbergen is not only a place of natural beauty, but also an important centre of scientific research and a historical testament to human endeavour and survival in extreme conditions.