China interested in buying a Norwegian island

A deserted island up for sale normally means some kind of tropical paradise coconuts, wildlife and strong sunlight. But not in Nordic culture. A Norwegian family announced it is selling an Arctic island.

The stretch of land owns a 217 square kilometers island called the Svalbard. The Arctic paradise features low temperatures, heavy snowfalls, a small mountain chain and a coal mine. The island is almost two times bigger than Manhattan, but the price was not listed.

Henning, Elin and Kari Horn are the grandchildren of Jakob Kjode a Norwegian shipowner that bought the land in 1937 with the intention of harvesting the coal deposits. According to VG newspaper, the property includes an abandoned mining community and the wreck of a Russian plane that crashed in 1996.

Specialists estimate beneath the Svalbard soil there is a large deposit of coal estimated at 25 million tons. There are rumors that China is interested in buying the island, but the Norwegian law forbids transactions of land with another country. China already has a research base in Ny-Alesund, Norway.