Sjuøyane

The islands are the northernmost landmass reachable by normal means, being 1024.3 kilometers (637 mi / 553 nm) south of the North Pole.

In comparison, Robert Falcon Scott started his ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition 1374 km (742 Nm) from the South Pole.

Ice conditions are often difficult, but they are often earlier accessible than other parts of Svalbard further southeast because of the influence of the last drops of the Gulf Stream.

Cornelis Giles and Outger Rep (c. 1710) were the first to put the islands in their correct position.

As map-makers often lagged years behind the actual discoveries of the archipelago, this claim may very well be true, although evidence is lacking.