", 8 October 2010 (UTC)
Ok, Spitsbergen was the island and the archipelago's name for a long while. Then it was the Spitsbergen archipelago, and the main island became West Spitsbergen to distinguish it from the archipelago. The German spelling Spitzbergen was never a variant, just a mistake (I've said a thousand times) by authors who didn't or don't know any Dutch and/or know/knew little to nothing about the island's history. Greenland, Groenland, etc. were names that should only be referenced in a historical context, as they were also based on a misconception, and need not be mentioned in the lead. West Spitsbergen, as it was once known, should be mentioned in the lead, like any other standard name (not a ""variant"", or a mistake like Spitzbergen/Greenland/Groenland). Again, every other single article on wiki has the former standard name of a place/region just after its present standard name. Again, do not revert.   19:03"