Taking a trip to the northernmost town in the world, YouTuber Simon Wilson was blown away by one peculiar thing about Longyearbyen, Norway.
Travelling to the Norwegian island from Wales, he was eager to learn about the bizarre law that locals have been required to abide by for decades, not to die on the island.
Trying to ascertain more details about the law and how it is implemented he spoke to one local, Marcus, who provided an insight into what it means for residents: “There’s no elderly home (retirement home) and of course there have been cases of people dying here but in general, if somebody is too elderly or can’t take care of themselves, they’re not allowed to be on the island.”
Trying to figure out how the local government keeps on top of the rule, Marcus told Simon: “(The local government) has a register of who is what age and who is working, who is not”
It’s usually around the age of 70 that locals decide to make the move from the island.
While some will be confused as to why the law is in place, the reasoning stems from scientific beliefs, as Christian Meyer, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, explained. He said: “The reason for this is that the permanently frozen ground will not only tend to keep your buried remains from decomposing and push them to the surface – it may also perfectly preserve the disease that killed you, for locals to pick up later.”
He added: “If you seem to be about to expire, every effort will be made to send you to the mainland.”
And, the town’s bizarre rule around death isn’t the only law that has caught people’s attention, as it is also set in law that locals must carry a gun. According to secretatlas.com: “Since 2012, it has been a legal requirement that anyone travelling outside of a settlement must carry a firearm due to the threat posed by polar bears.”
Meanwhile, Ben Morris, a fellow YouTuber was also shocked to learn some of the rules that the locals have to abide by as he visited the town earlier this year: “We’ve arrived. The terrain is like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life before. It’s just incredible. I think they also have a lot of polar bears here, which I’m terrified about.” the Daily Mirror reported.
“There’s a rule here that when you’re leaving the settlement, you’re required to carry a firearm for protection.
“Known for being one of the most dangerous carnivores on planet Earth, there are more polar bears in existence in this region than there are humans, adding an extra layer of apprehension and complexity to the environment I’d signed up to.”