Arctic Region > Svalbard > Government

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Capital city	Longyearbyen
Capital city > Daylight saving time +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	78 13 N, 15 33 E
Capital city > Name	Longyearbyen
Capital city > Time difference UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Dependency status territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway
Executive branch > Chief of state King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
Executive branch > Elections none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice
Executive branch > Head of government Governor Per SEFLAND (since 1 October 2005); Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since 2003)
Flag description the flag of Norway is used
Independence none (territory of Norway)
International organization participation	none
Legal system the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone

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