Jan Mayen Discovery, History and Geological Environment: Tourism Information Guide

Jan Mayen Discovery, History and Geological Environment. Tourism Information Guide. The early history of Jan Mayen is no more than legends if anything at all, and it may well be that no one has ever seen the island before the days of the whalers in the early 17th century. There are some stories of Irish monks in the 7th century followed by the Vikings, who certainly went from Norway to Iceland and further to southwest Greenland, but if they ever came anywhere near Jan Mayen remains unknown. No one less than famous Henry Hudson may have discovered the island in 1608, but the first confirmed sighting was made in 1614 by John Clarke from England. Clarke was soon followed by whalers who started to exploit the biological treasures of the arctic seas in the 17th century. Dutch whalers established several stations on Jan Mayen. A few remains can still be seen at two sites on the northern side of the island, including Kvalrossbukta