This article originally appeared on VICE Italy.

Halfway between Norway and the North Pole, you’ll find the Svalbard Islands. This snowy archipelago is home to more polar bears (3,000 or so) than it is people (2,500). It’s also the northernmost inhabited place on the planet. It’s important to remember a few key things about life up here. It is cold – it was -11°C on most days of our trip in late October– and it is dark. Between November and February, the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. READ MORE

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