Longyearbyen Permafrost Prevents Conventional Burials

Despite a popular claim, dying is not actually illegal in Longyearbyen, an Arctic town on Norway's Svalbard archipelago. The town stopped conventional burials in 1950 after officials discovered that permafrost had prevented residents who died during the 1918 flu pandemic from decomposing. Officials typically require terminally ill residents to move to mainland Norway, while families may bury cremated remains in Longyearbyen with government permission.

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