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Bear Island is a small island nestled between Spitsbergen and the North Cape, at the limits of the Norwegian and Barents Sea. It is the southernmost island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago.

In 1596, two Dutch explorers, Willem Barentsz and Jacob van Hemsserck, discovered the island during their expedition to find a northern sea route to Asia. They named it Bear Island after a polar bear they spotted swimming nearby. Due to its remote location and barren ground, the island remains uninhabited except for the nine people who work at its meteorological station and radio station, Bjornoya Radio.

The station, which dates back to 1919, started as a Norwegian radio station before it expanded to a meteorological station. Today, the station, located at Herwighamna, a small harbour on the northern coast of the island, carries out meteorological observations and provides logistics and telecommunication services, including a radio watch.

Bear Island has seen a number of other commercial activities take place. In the past centuries, it has welcomed coal mining, fishing, and whaling.

The initial attempt at coal mining began in 1898 but was unsuccessful until Bjornoen AS operated a coal mine at Tuheim village from 1916 to 1925, which brought some success, before being evacuated and destroyed during World War 2.

Since 2002, the island and adjacent waters have been declared a nature reserve. The reserve covers the whole island except 1.2 miles around the meteorological station.

The island is also a place of interest, especially for ornithological (the study of birds) research, with the Norwegian Polar Institute conducting annual expeditions there.

While the island is extremely difficult to reach, there are opportunities for travellers to visit. The island's challenging terrain makes it difficult to land on the island.

Its northern area is flat, lake-filled, and its southern region is mountainous. The highest mountain, Mysseryfjellet, is 1,758 feet high. Therefore, the main way to visit the island is by ship or Zodiac boats.

Oceanwide Expeditions offers a five-night experience that crosses South Spitsbergen, Bear Island, and Norway, giving passengers the chance to "explore a world of glaciers, rugged peaks, and stunning fjords".