Vikvær Station

Vikvær Station Vikværstasjonen
Polar station
Country	Breheim
Territory	Kvitlandsterritoriet
Location	Viksøy
Founded	1916
Population	500−1,300
Type	Permanent
Status	Active and operational

The Vikvær Station is the oldest still operational Breheimian settlement in polar regions. Originally founded as a whaling station, it was nationalized by the Breheimian Government in 1933 and repurposed as the primary port and research station of the government in polar regions, but still maintain facilities to service whaling ships. It is the largest permanent polar base maintained by the Republic of Breheim in the region, and serves as the administrative centre for 'Kvitlandsterritoriet' (the claimed Breheimian landmass in the northern polar regions). The station has a population of 500 in winter, and 1300 in summer.

Activities

Whaling

While serving as a whaling station is now a secondary purpose of the Vikvær Station, it remains the largest whaling port within Nocturnalya's polar regions. Johansen Whaling and Fisheries is the only company authorized to utilize the Vikvær Station, in practice giving them a monopoly on whaling in the area, and half of the harbour is delegated to servicing whaling ships.

Research

The primary research carried out at the Vikvær Station revolves around meteorology, cetology, phytoplankton biology, glaciology, geomagnetism and hydroponics.

Other Functions

The Vikvær Station serves as the primary supplier of the smaller Breheimian polar bases and stations. The Vikvær Station, while not self-sufficient, maintains some level of food production through in-house hydroponics and greenhouses, with fishing and hunting being secondary sources of nutrition. The station supplies itself with electricity through a small nuclear power plant. The station is still reliant on supplies from the mainland however, such as dietary supplements, fuel rods, gasoline and more. The Station has a theoretical capacity of more than two thousand individuals. The Vikvær Station includes two harbors, an airfield and four helipads, in addition to a total of two hundred various buildings.

Community

The Vikvær Station is Breheim's largest community in polar regions, and maintain their own radio channel, three pubs and a museum. Following demands in 1981, the Kvitlandterritory gained a certain amount of democracy through the establishment of an elected council (individuals having contracts for at least a period of six months being able to vote), with largely advisory authority towards the Breheimian Polar Directorate. The council is based in the Vikvær station and as of 2012 consists of nine individuals elected for periods of six months. The Station also include a total of six religious buildings, among them two protestant churches, a catholic church, a kvitekristian church, a norse pagan hov and an alfartruar temple.