Home Quiz #11
The Vault
What is found inside the vault? Where is this vault located?
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault or “The Vault” houses the world’s “library” of seeds with a capacity to
store 4.5 million varieties of crops. Each variety will contain on average 500 seeds, so a maximum of 2.5
billion seeds may be stored in the Vault.
Figure 1: Svalbard. Google Maps
It is strategically located deep inside a mountain for several reasons.
The island of Svalbard it is the farthest any person can fly on a scheduled flight and therefore guarantees
absolute seclusion. The Vault is located between mainland Norway and the North Pole (78° N, 15° E) 100
meters into the mountain.
Figure 2: Jørgen. (n.d) Pinerest. Svalbard Global Seed Vault Diagram. (https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/72690981471837866/)
Th area is politically and geologically stable. It is 130m above sea level and therefore guarantees no risk
of ocean flooding. The temperature and humidity keeps the samples cold and dry even if the artificial
cooling breaks down due to permafrost.
Recently, one country requested for seeds inside the vault. Which
country was this? What was the reason for the request?
In 2015, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) requested the
withdrawal of seeds from the depository in Svalbard as the war in Syria made the Aleppo gene bank
inaccessible.