Barentsoya Island (Svalbard Norway)

Barentsoya Island (aka Barents Island) is located in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. The island covers a total area of approx 1288 km2 (497 mi2) and around 43% of the land is glaciated.

Barentsoya Island lies between Edgeoya Island and Spitsbergen Island and has no permanent human settlements. Barents Island was named after Willem Barents (1550-1597), a Dutch explorer who actually never sighted the isle.

The island is also part of the Soraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve.

Kukenthaloya Island is located to the north, in the sound between Barentsoya and Spitsbergen. The sound that separates Barents Island from Edgeoya to the south is named Freemansundet.

In geologic time most of the surface rock was eroded by glaciation. The entire region is populated by polar bears, with a recognizable genetic differentiation specialized to the Barents Sea region.

Barentsoya Island has an approximately square shape. Its maximum lengths and widths are about 50 km (31 mi). The ice cap of Barentsjokulen covers a large part of Barentsoya, with the biggest offsprings Duckwitzbreen (to the west), Besselsbreen (to the north), Freemanbreen (to the south), and Hubnerbreen (southeast). Barentsjokulen has the 2 large ice domes of Peer Gyntslottet and Solveigdomen. Schweinfurthberget mountain is a nunatak of Barentsjokulen.

On the northern side of Barentsoya Island is the ice-free peninsula Frankenhalvoya, between Ginevra Bay and Dorstbukta. Grimheia is the name of an ice-free mountainous area that extends over a length of about 13 km (8 mi) at the northern part of the isle. The westernmost point of Barentsoya is the headland of Mistakodden.

At the island's southern part are the mountains of Hogrinden and Krefftberget, while Jeppeberget lies to the southeast. The biggest lakes of Barentsoya Island are Veslemjosa in Heimarka, as well as Dalskilvatnet between Grimdalen and Sjodalen valleys.