“It would not be until 1925, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, that by international agreement Svalbard was conceded to Norway. Norway is, after all, the closest European country to Svalbard (Greenland, then a Danish colony, is closer), yet as an independent nation of its own, Norway has a relatively short history. The Treaty of Kiev in 1814 formally prized it free from the clutches of the Danes, who had held it in their grasp since the Middle Ages, but for another century Norway struggled to disentangle itself from an alliance with Sweden that gave most of the benefits to the latter country. Modern, autonomous Norway dates only from 1905.”  (p. 57)

Hmmmmm.. Didn’t know that!