Krasnoflotskiye Islands
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Severnaya Zemlya (russian: link=no, Сéверная Земля́ (Northern Land), ) is a
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
in the Russian high
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
. It lies off
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
's
Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula (russian: Таймырский полуостров, Taymyrsky poluostrov) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administrati ...
, separated from the mainland by the
Vilkitsky Strait : Vilkitsky Strait (russian: link=no, пролив Вилькицкого) is a strait between the Taimyr Peninsula and Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The strait connects the Kara and Laptev Seas. The length of the Vilkits ...
. This archipelago separates two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the
Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
in the west and the
Laptev Sea The Laptev Sea ( rus, мо́ре Ла́птевых, r=more Laptevykh; sah, Лаптевтар байҕаллара, translit=Laptevtar baỹğallara) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, th ...
in the east. Severnaya Zemlya was first noted in 1913 and first charted in 1930–32, making it the last sizeable
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
on
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
to be explored. Administratively, the islands form part of Russia's
Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Siber ...
. In
Soviet times The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
there were a number of research stations in different locations, but currently there are no human inhabitants in Severnaya Zemlya, except for the Prima Polar Station near
Cape Baranov Cape Baranov (russian: Мыс Баранова; ''Mys Baranova'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. History The Laptev Sea shore of present-day Severnaya Zemlya was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913 during the Arctic Ocean Hydrograp ...
. The largest
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
in the Russian Federation, the
Academy of Sciences Glacier The Academy of Sciences Glacier (russian: ледник Академии наук; ''Lednik Akademii Nauk''), is a large ice cap on Komsomolets Island, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Federation. It is the largest in Severnaya Zemlya and is also the la ...
, is located in Severnaya Zemlya. The archipelago is notable as well in connection with the ongoing multiyear
Arctic sea ice decline Arctic sea ice decline has occurred in recent decades due to the effects of climate change on oceans, with declines in sea ice area, extent, and volume. Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been melting more in summer than it refreezes in the winter. ...
. Until recently, ice joined the islands to
Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...
, even at its smallest extent during the late summer melt season, blocking the
Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands of Canada is accordingly called the Northwest Passage (N ...
between the Atlantic and the Pacific. By the late summer of 2012, however, the permanent ice had reached a record low extent and open water appeared to the south of the archipelago.


History

Although Severnaya Zemlya lies not far off the northern coast of Siberia, cartographers did not formally record it until the 20th century. Earlier explorers deemed that there was a land mass in the general area - note for example the report by
Matvei Gedenschtrom Matvei Matveyevich Gedenschtrom ( sv, Mathias Hedenström; russian: link=no, Матвей Матвеевич Геденштром; 1780 – ) was a Russian explorer of Northern Siberia, writer, and public servant. Matvei Gedenschtrom was born in ...
and
Yakov Sannikov Yakov Sannikov () (January 29, 1780, Ust-Yansk – 1810s, Sakha Republic) was a Russian merchant and explorer of the New Siberian Islands. In 1800, Sannikov discovered and charted Stolbovoy Island, and in 1805 Faddeyevsky Island. In 1809–1810, ...
made in 1810 at the time of their exploration of the
New Siberian Islands The New Siberian Islands ( rus, Новосиби́рские Oстрова, r=Novosibirskiye Ostrova; sah, Саҥа Сибиир Aрыылара, translit=Saña Sibiir Arıılara) are an archipelago in the Extreme North of Russia, to the north o ...
. Later in the 19th century,
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...
during the ''Vega'' expedition sailed very close to this land in 1878 but did not notice it. In 1882, the Danish
Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...
and naval officer
Andreas Peter Hovgaard Andreas Peter Hovgaard (1 November 1853 – 15 March 1910) was a Danish naval officer and Arctic explorer. Hovgaard became a sub-lieutenant of the Danish Navy in 1874, rising to the rank of Lieutenant (navy), lieutenant in 1876, Captain (naval) ...
, leader of the Arctic survey ''Dijmphna'' expedition, set himself the goal of discovering land north of
Cape Chelyuskin Cape Chelyuskin (russian: Мыс Челюскина, ''Mys Chelyuskina'') is the northernmost point of the Afro-Eurasian continent (and indeed of any continental mainland), and the northernmost point of mainland Russia. It is situated at the tip o ...
and exploring the unknown northeastern limits of the
Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
. However, Hovgaard was prevented from accomplishing his objectives after having become trapped in thick ice, and his expedition was unable to reach even the shores of the
Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula (russian: Таймырский полуостров, Taymyrsky poluostrov) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administrati ...
. Even at the end of the 19th century, both Nansen's ''Fram'' expedition of 1895 and
Eduard Toll Eduard Gustav Freiherr von Toll (russian: Эдуа́рд Васи́льевич Толль, translit=Eduárd Vasíl'evič Toll'; 1902), better known in Russia as Eduard Vasilyevich Toll and often referred to as Baron von Toll, was a Russian ge ...
's
Russian polar expedition of 1900–02 Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and pe ...
on the ship ''Zarya'' failed to note any traces of land to the north of the strait between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea that they navigated. File:Dijmphna Karasee.png , Map of the Kara Sea drift of steamship ''
Dijmphna ''Dijmphna'' was as schooner-rigged steamship, built in 1871 in Sweden and named ''Linköping''. During her first years ''Linköping'' sailed as a merchant in the North Sea and the Baltic but was sold in 1882 to the wealthy coffee trader and b ...
'' in 1882–83. This venture would have discovered the land now known as Severnaya Zemlya had it been successful. File:Yenisey gub - section.jpg, 1902 map section of the
Yeniseysk Governorate Yeniseysk Governorate (russian: Енисе́йская губе́рния) was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian Republic, Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic in 1822-1925. General info ...
with empty ocean in the location of the archipelago


Emperor Nicholas II Land

The archipelago first appeared on the map with the 1913–1915 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition of the
icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
s ''Taimyr'' and ''Vaigach''. The chief organiser and first captain of the ''Vaygach'' was officer
Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Russian Empire, Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian ...
of the
Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...
. The expedition, privately financed, was launched in 1910 and led by
Boris Vilkitsky Boris Andreyevich Vilkitsky (russian: Бори́с Андре́евич Вильки́цкий) (22 March (3 April N.S.) 1885, Pulkovo – 6 March 1961) was a Russian hydrographer and surveyor. He was the son of Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky. ...
on behalf of the
Russian Hydrographic Service The Russian Hydrographic Service, full current official name Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation ( rus, Управление навигации и океанографии Министер ...
. This venture accomplished its goal of exploring the uncharted areas of the continental side of the
Northern Sea Route The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, ''Severnyy morskoy put'', shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Nov ...
in what was seen as the culmination of the
Great Northern Expedition The Great Northern Expedition (russian: Великая Северная экспедиция) or Second Kamchatka Expedition (russian: Вторая Камчатская экспедиция) was one of the largest exploration enterprises in hi ...
, an ambitious enterprise initially conceived by emperor
Peter I the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
() in order to map the whole of the northern coast of Russia to the east. On 3 September 1913 (22 August 1913 in the
Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
used by Russia at the time), members of Vilkitsky's expedition landed on what is now known as
Cape Berg Cape Berg (russian: Мыс Берга, ''Mys Berga'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. This cape was named after prominent Soviet geographer and biologist Lev Berg (1876 – 1950). Geography Stretching out towards the Laptev Sea east ...
on present-day
October Revolution Island October Revolution Island (Russian: Остров Октябрьской Революции, ''Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii'') is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic. It is named after the October Revolution ...
. They raised the Russian flag on the shore and named the new territory Tayvay Land (russian: link=no, Земля Тайвай, ''Zemlya Tayvay''), after the first syllable of each of their icebreakers' names. During the days that followed, Vilkitsky's expedition charted parts of the Laptev Sea coast of what they believed to be a single island. Barely six months later, in early 1914, by order of the Secretary of the Imperial Navy, the new discovery was renamed ''Emperor Nicholas II Land'' (russian: link= no, Земля Императора Николая II, ''Zemlya Imperatora Nikolaya II''), after the ruling
Emperor Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
of Russia. File:Emperor Nicholas II Land 1913-map-arctic.png, Section of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition map showing incompletely charted Emperor Nicholas II Land —with an undefined western coast. The Russian flag stands on the
Cape Berg Cape Berg (russian: Мыс Берга, ''Mys Berga'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. This cape was named after prominent Soviet geographer and biologist Lev Berg (1876 – 1950). Geography Stretching out towards the Laptev Sea east ...
area. File:Emperor Nicholas II Land Russian Empire Map.jpg , Partly surveyed Emperor Nicholas II Land in a 1915 map of the Russian Empire. At the time it was believed that the archipelago formed a single landmass. File:Stamps of Russia 2013 No 1732-1734 Severnaya Zemlya.jpg, Russian 2013 stamp set featuring Boris Vilkitsky, his ships and the landscape of the area - dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Severnaya Zemlya.


Later exploration and present era

In 1926, the
Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. Communist states In Communist states the presidi ...
of the
Central Executive Committee of the USSR The All-Union Central Executive Committee (russian: Всесоюзный Центральный исполнительный комитет, Vsesoyuznyy Tsentral'nyy ispolnitel'nyy komitet) was the most authoritative governing body of the USSR d ...
renamed the still not fully-explored land ''Severnaya Zemlya''. In May 1928,
Umberto Nobile Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
and his crew in the Airship ''Italia'' attempted to overfly the islands, but adverse weather conditions forced them to turn southward when only an hour or two from viewing the archipelago's coastline. In the spring of 1931,
Georgy Ushakov Georgy Alexeyevich Ushakov (russian: Георгий Алексеевич Ушаков) (17 (30) January 1901 – 3 December 1963) was a Soviet explorer of the Arctic. Ushakov broke new ground when he surveyed and explored Severnaya Zemlya, togeth ...
, accompanied by the geologist
Nikolay Urvantsev Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev (russian: Николáй Николáевич Урвáнцев; – 20 February 1985) was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov in the Lukoyanovsky Uyezd of the Nizhny Novgorod Gove ...
, the veteran surveyor Sergei Zhuravlev, and the radio-operator
Vasily Khodov Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to: *Vasili I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425 *Vasili II of Moscow Grand Prince fro ...
, thoroughly surveyed Severnaya Zemlya during a two-year expedition to the archipelago. Ushakov and his team established a small base at Golomyanny – the western end of
Sredniy Island Severnaya Zemlya (russian: link=no, Сéверная Земля́ (Northern Land), ) is a archipelago in the Russian high Arctic. It lies off Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula, separated from the mainland by the Vilkitsky Strait. This archipelago ...
, off October Revolution Island's western coast. From there they made multiple surveying-trips into the interior and to the coastlines of the larger islands. The first detailed map drawn by the expedition's cartographers showed Severnaya Zemlya divided into four main islands. Geographic features of the territory were named after
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
organisations, events, and personalities. With reference to Severnaya Zemlya Ushakov wrote: The ''Graf Zeppelin'' flew over the area during its polar flight of July 1931 and recorded some cartographic and meteorological data;
Hugo Eckener Hugo Eckener (10 August 1868 – 14 August 1954) SchwensenThomas Adam. p. 289 ostsee.de was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and also the commander of the famous '' Graf Zeppelin'' for most of its record-sett ...
tried to take pictures of the yet unsurveyed western coast, but it was obscured by fog and clouds.William J. Mills, ''Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia,'' Volume 1, p. 204. Although
German communists German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
had endured suffering under the
Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, due to
anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...
caused by the 1941–1945
German-Soviet War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...
in the
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
some features of Severnaya Zemlya that had been previously named in solidarity with German Communism were given Russian or neutral-sounding names, e.g.
Cape Unslicht Cape Unslicht (russian: Мыс Песчаный, ''Mys Peschanyy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. Geography Stretching out northwards NW of the Akhmatov Fjord and east of the mouth of Mikoyan Bay, this headland is the northernmost ...
becoming '' Mys Peschanyy'' and '' Proliv Yungshturm'' becoming
Yuny Strait Yuny Strait (russian: Юный пролив) is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. It is covered with ice most of the year. History Initially named ''Proliv Yungshturm'' (russian: пролив Юнгштурм) after the Roter Jungsturm of th ...
. During the period of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
(1940s to 1980s), the islands of Severnaya Zemlya continued to be studied by a team of geologists from NIIGA (the Scientific Research Institute of Arctic Geology) in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, (then known as Leningrad). Between 1948 and 1954 a comprehensive geological map was compiled under B. Kh. Egiazarov.GEO_099_121.pdf
(PDF) . Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
Also more accurate maps were drawn by means of cartographic data gathered from aerial-photography surveys. Administratively, Severnaya Zemlya formed part of the
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (russian: Таймы́рский Долга́но-Не́нецкий автоно́мный о́круг, '; Enets: Таймыр Оша-Дюрак район, Nenets: Таймыр Долганы-Ненэц ...
until this
okrug An ''okrug, ; russian: о́круг, ókrug; sr, округ, okrug, ; uk, о́круг, о́kruh; be, акруга, akruha; pl, okręg; ab, оқрҿс; mhr, йырвел, '' is a type of administrative division in some Slavic states. The ...
was merged into
Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Siber ...
on 1 January 2007. it belongs to the
Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District (russian: Таймы́рский Долга́но-Не́нецкий райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #10-4765 and municipalLaw #2-54 district (raion), one of the forty-three in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia ...
of Krasnoyarsk Krai. There has been a request at the Krasnoyarsk Krai Legislative Assembly to reinstate the former name of Severnaya Zemlya as "Emperor Nicholas II Land" (russian: link= no, Земля Николая II). This request, however, has been rejected for the time being. File:Polarstation Izluchina 2014-08-31.jpg , View of the remains of abandoned Izluchina Russian polar station at the northern end of
Komsomolets Island Komsomolets Island in Severnaya Zemlya Komsomolets Island (russian: остров Комсомолец) is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd lar ...
File:Operational Navigation Chart B-3, 2nd edition.jpg , 1975 map showing Severnaya Zemlya and the
Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula (russian: Таймырский полуостров, Taymyrsky poluostrov) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administrati ...
File:SevernayaZemlya.jpg ,
Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...
-
MODIS The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a satellite-based sensor used for earth and climate measurements. There are two MODIS sensors in Earth orbit: one on board the Terra (EOS AM) satellite, launched by NASA in 1999 ...
image of Severnaya Zemlya in 2001


Geography

Severnaya Zemlya comprises four major islands – October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer – and around 70 smaller islands, covering a total area of about . It is separated from the
Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula (russian: Таймырский полуостров, Taymyrsky poluostrov) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administrati ...
by the
Vilkitsky Strait : Vilkitsky Strait (russian: link=no, пролив Вилькицкого) is a strait between the Taimyr Peninsula and Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The strait connects the Kara and Laptev Seas. The length of the Vilkits ...
. Komsomolets is separated from
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
's northernmost point,
Cape Columbia Cape Columbia is the northernmost point of land of Canada, located on Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. It marks the westernmost coastal point of Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's northernmost point of land ...
, by under 2000km. Four of the main islands are largely glaciated, October Revolution, Komsomolets, and Pioneer, as well as the smaller
Schmidt Island Schmidt Island (russian: Остров Шмидта) is one of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic and was named after Soviet scientist and first head of the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, Otto Schmidt. It i ...
at the northwestern limit. The glacierised area on Bolshevik, the southernmost main island of the group, covers about a quarter of its land's surface. The southmost point of Severnaya Zemlya is Cape Neupokoyev at the SW end of Bolshevik Island. The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Karpinsky, the summit of the Karpinsky Glacier, an
ice dome Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Ty ...
on October Revolution Island. The
Red Army Strait Red Army Strait (russian: Пролив Красной Армии, ''Proliv Krasnoy Army'') is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. It is named after the Red Army (Krasnaya Armiya). Geography The Red Army Strait is wide. It separates Komsomolets ...
separates Komsomolets Island from October Revolution Island and the broader
Shokalsky Strait Shokalsky Strait (russian: Пролив Шокальского) is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. Geography The Shokalsky Strait is an up to a 50 km-wide strait that separates Bolshevik Island from October Revolution Island, connectin ...
Bolshevik Island from October Revolution Island. Both straits connect the Kara Sea in the west with the Laptev Sea in the east. This archipelago encloses the northern limits of the
Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...
on its western shores, together with
Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...
, located roughly to the southwest. The large rivers Ob and
Yenisei The Yenisey (russian: Енисе́й, ''Yeniséy''; mn, Горлог мөрөн, ''Gorlog mörön''; Buryat language, Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ''Gorlog müren''; Tuvan language, Tuvan: Улуг-Хем, ''Uluğ-Hem''; Khakas language, K ...
, among others, flow from the south into this marginal sea area of the Arctic Ocean, with their abundant waters contributing to a climate with relatively high precipitation despite the prevalent extreme cold temperatures of the high latitude. The
Laptev Sea The Laptev Sea ( rus, мо́ре Ла́птевых, r=more Laptevykh; sah, Лаптевтар байҕаллара, translit=Laptevtar baỹğallara) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, th ...
, where the mighty
Lena River The Lena (russian: Ле́на, ; evn, Елюенэ, ''Eljune''; sah, Өлүөнэ, ''Ölüöne''; bua, Зүлхэ, ''Zülkhe''; mn, Зүлгэ, ''Zülge'') is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean ...
steadily expands its large delta, lies to the east of Severnaya Zemlya. The
topographic relief Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...
of the archipelago is quite smooth, with
Neoproterozoic The Neoproterozoic Era is the unit of geologic time from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago. It is the last era of the Precambrian Supereon and the Proterozoic Eon; it is subdivided into the Tonian, Cryogenian, and Ediacaran periods. It is ...
and
Palaeozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and '' ...
sedimentary successions dominating its
bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
geology.


Glaciers

Glaciers in the archipelago have a characteristic dome shape with a continuously decreasing surface towards their edges. Ice cliffs are found only at the base. The places where the glaciers reach the sea contribute to the formation of icebergs. The most active glacier fronts are the eastern side of the Academy of Sciences Glacier at
Krenkel Bay Krenkel Bay (russian: Бухта Кренкеля, ''Bukhta Krenkelya''), is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth History This bay was discovered by the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushakov and ...
as well as its southern side. Another quite active glacier is the
Rusanov Glacier Rusanov (russian: Русанов) is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Rusanova. It may refer to: *Anatoly Rusanov (born 1932), Russian chemist *Dmitri Rusanov (born 1987), Russian football player *Lyubov Rusanova (born 1954) ...
on the island of October Revolution with its
terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...
at
Matusevich Fjord Matusevich Fjord (russian: Фьорд Матусевича, ''Fiord Matusevicha''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This fjord is blocked by heavy ice the whole year round. Its iceberg-producing activity is unm ...
. October Revolution, with seven
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s, is the island with most individual glaciers in Severnaya Zemlya. Next are the islands of Bolshevik with six, Komsomolets with four, Pioneer with two and Schmidt Island with one. The largest glacier is the
Academy of Sciences Glacier The Academy of Sciences Glacier (russian: ледник Академии наук; ''Lednik Akademii Nauk''), is a large ice cap on Komsomolets Island, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Federation. It is the largest in Severnaya Zemlya and is also the la ...
in Komsomolets, which is also the largest ice cap of Russia —a and thick ice dome reaching
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
covering about two-thirds of the surface of the island.


Main islands


October Revolution

October Revolution Island October Revolution Island (Russian: Остров Октябрьской Революции, ''Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii'') is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic. It is named after the October Revolution ...
(russian: link=no, Остров Октябрьской Революции, ''Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii'') is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
. The area of this island has been estimated at making it the 59th largest island in the world. It rises to a height of on Mount Karpinsky. Half the island is covered with
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s reaching down into the sea. In the sections free from ice, the vegetation is
desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
or
tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
. The island was first explored and named by the expedition of G.A. Ushakov and Nikolay N. Urvantsev in 1930–32. October Revolution Island houses five domed ice caps; clockwise from north, they are named: Rusanov, Karpinsky,
University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
,
Vavilov Vavilov (russian: Вави́лов) is a Russian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrey Petrovich Vavilov (b. 1961), Russian politician and businessman * Nikolai Vavilov (1887–1943), Russian geneticist * Sergey Ivanovich Vavi ...
and Albanov. The
Vavilov Vavilov (russian: Вави́лов) is a Russian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrey Petrovich Vavilov (b. 1961), Russian politician and businessman * Nikolai Vavilov (1887–1943), Russian geneticist * Sergey Ivanovich Vavi ...
Meteorological Station was operated from 1974 to 1988 on the northern part of the Vavilov Ice Cap. Other minor ice caps on the island include the Mal'yutka Glacier. The Podemnaya River and the Bolshaya River drain to the northwest between the Vavilov and Albanov glaciers, and the Bedovaya and Obryvistaya Rivers drain to the north between Albanov and Rusanov. The large
Matusevich Fjord Matusevich Fjord (russian: Фьорд Матусевича, ''Fiord Matusevicha''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This fjord is blocked by heavy ice the whole year round. Its iceberg-producing activity is unm ...
and the smaller
Marat Fjord Marat Fjord (russian: Фьорд Марата, ''Fiord Marata''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth It is blocked by ice most of the year. History Although the shore of the island further north had been visited ...
are located in this island.
Cape October Cape October (russian: Мыс Октябрьский; ''Mys Oktyabr’skiy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. History This cape was named during the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev ...
is located in the northern part of the island facing the Red Army Strait. ''Ostrov Vysokiy'' is an islet located in a small bay on October Revolution Island's southwest shores.


Bolshevik

Bolshevik Island __NOTOC__ Bolshevik Island (russian: о́стров Большеви́к, ) is an island in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Arctic. The island is named after the political faction of the same name. History The island, together with ...
(russian: link=no, о́стров Большеви́к, ) is the southernmost and second largest island in the group, located across the Shokalsky Strait from October Revolution Island. The area of this island has been estimated at . Bolshevik Island is mountainous, reaching a height of . It houses an Arctic base named ''Prima'' near
Cape Baranov Cape Baranov (russian: Мыс Баранова; ''Mys Baranova'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. History The Laptev Sea shore of present-day Severnaya Zemlya was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913 during the Arctic Ocean Hydrograp ...
. Parts of the shore of the island are deeply indented, with
Mikoyan Bay Mikoyan Bay (russian: Залив Микояна, ''Zaliv Mikoyana'') is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth It is clogged by ice most of the year with many icebergs in the strait off the mouth of the bay. History This b ...
in the north and
Solnechny Bay Solnechny Bay (russian: Бухта Солнечная, ''Bukhta Solnechnaya''), is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth History There is an abandoned polar station on the eastern side of Solnechny Bay, near Cape Antsev, ...
in the south, as well as
fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...
s such as the large
Akhmatov Fjord Akhmatov Fjord, also known as Akhmatov Bay (russian: Залив Ахматова, ''Zaliv Akhmatova''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This fjord is clogged by ice most of the year. History The fjord was named ...
, and the smaller Thaelmann Fjord,
Spartak Fjord Spartak may refer to: In sports *Spartak (sports society), an international fitness and sports society that unites some countries of the former Soviet Union In Russia *FC Spartak Moscow, a football club *FC Spartak Kostroma, a football club *PFC ...
and
Partizan Fjord Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...
. Bolshevik Island is comparatively less glaciated than the other islands of Severnaya Zemlya. Only about 30% of the island is covered by
glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s while the coastal plains have a sparse vegetation of
moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...
and
lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Leningrad Glacier,
Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky Glacier Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov or Semenov (russian: Пётр Петрович Семёнов; 2 January ''(New style: 14 January)'', 1827 – 26 February ''(New style: 11 March)'', 1914) was a Russian geographer and statistician who managed the Russia ...
,
Kropotkin Glacier Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activist ...
, Mushketov Glacier and Aerosyomki Glacier are located in the interior of the island and do not reach the sea.. Oceandots.com. Retrieved on 19 October 2010. ''Ostrov Tash'' is a small island located on Bolshevik's southern shore. ''Lavrov Island'' is located off the NE shore and ''Ostrov Lishniy'' off its northern tip.


Komsomolets

Komsomolets Island Komsomolets Island in Severnaya Zemlya Komsomolets Island (russian: остров Комсомолец) is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd lar ...
(russian: link=no, остров Комсомолец) is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth. The northernmost point of the island is called the
Arctic Cape The Arctic Cape (russian: Мыс Арктический, ''Mys Arkticheskiy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. With a distance of 990.8 km to the North Pole, the Arctic Cape is sometimes used as starting point for expeditions to ...
. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions. The area of this island has been estimated at . It rises to a height of . Some 65% of the island is covered with glaciers. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap, which covers most of the island between
Krenkel Bay Krenkel Bay (russian: Бухта Кренкеля, ''Bukhta Krenkelya''), is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth History This bay was discovered by the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushakov and ...
in the east and
Zhuravlev Bay Zhuravlev Bay (russian: залив Журавлева, ''Zaliv Zhuravleva''), is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This bay is blocked by ice most of the year. History This bay was named by the 1930–1932 expedition ...
in the west. The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
and
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens. The island was first explored and named by the expedition of
Georgy Ushakov Georgy Alexeyevich Ushakov (russian: Георгий Алексеевич Ушаков) (17 (30) January 1901 – 3 December 1963) was a Soviet explorer of the Arctic. Ushakov broke new ground when he surveyed and explored Severnaya Zemlya, togeth ...
and
Nikolay Urvantsev Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev (russian: Николáй Николáевич Урвáнцев; – 20 February 1985) was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov in the Lukoyanovsky Uyezd of the Nizhny Novgorod Gove ...
in 1930–32. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, this island was named in honour of the members of the
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
, the "Communist Union of Youth". Off the northwestern shores of Komsomolets Island lies a group of islets known as ''Ostrova Dem'yana Bednogo''.


Pioneer Island

Pioneer Island, Ostrov Pioner in Russian. It is the westernmost of the large islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group and is separated from Komsomolets Island by the
Yuny Strait Yuny Strait (russian: Юный пролив) is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. It is covered with ice most of the year. History Initially named ''Proliv Yungshturm'' (russian: пролив Юнгштурм) after the Roter Jungsturm of th ...
. Pioneer island measures in area. This island houses the Pioneer Glacier.
Thelodonti Thelodonti (from Greek: "feeble teeth")Maisey, John G., Craig Chesek, and David Miller. Discovering fossil fishes. New York: Holt, 1996. is a class of extinct jawless fishes with distinctive scales instead of large plates of armor. There is much ...
fossils from the
Upper Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...
have been found in the island. Off Pioneer Island's southwestern end lies Krupskoy Island. This is a fairly large island, over in length and about in width. The sound that separates it from Pioneer is only in width. This island should not be confused with Pioneer Island in Canada ().


Schmidt Island

Schmidt Island Schmidt Island (russian: Остров Шмидта) is one of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic and was named after Soviet scientist and first head of the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, Otto Schmidt. It i ...
, measuring , is located at the far northwestern end of the archipelago. This island is quite detached from the whole Severnaya Zemlya group. It is also its northernmost island and is fully in the region of permanent sea ice. This island is almost entirely covered by the Schmidt Ice Cap. Owing to its exposed position, the climate in the Schmidt Island's area is much colder than in the rest of the archipelago. Schmidt Island was named after the Soviet scientist
Otto Schmidt Otto Yulyevich Shmidt, be, Ота Юльевіч Шміт, Ota Juljevič Šmit (born Otto Friedrich Julius Schmidt; – 7 September 1956), better known as Otto Schmidt, was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesm ...
.


Minor islands and island groups

Close to the main archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya there are a number of smaller islands and archipelagos. There are also many small coastal islands and islets in different locations, such as Krupskoy to the west of Pioneer and Naydenysh (russian: link=no, Найдёныш) near Cape Anuchin in October Revolution Island. Among the other minor islands the following deserve mention:


Sedov Archipelago

The Sedov Archipelago, formerly known as
Sergey Kamenev Sergey Sergeyevich Kamenev (russian: Серге́й Серге́евич Ка́менев; April 16 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._April_4.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S._April_4">Old_Style_and_New ...
Islands, is located just west of October Revolution Island on the Kara Sea side. The main islands of this archipelago are ''Sredny'' (the longest island), ''Domashnyy'', ''Strela'', and ''Figurnyy''. Close to the shore of October Revolution Island lies ''Obmannyy Island'' and further offshore southwards lies ''Dlinnyy Island''. These other coastal islands are sometimes included as part of the Sedov Group. ''Golomyanniy Meteorological Station'', located on the western tip of Sredniy Island at , was the wintering site and base of the 1931–32 expedition and has been taking continuous measurements since 1954. An official request has been forwarded to rename Domashnyy Island as ''Svyatoy Anastasii'' (), St. Anastasia Island.


Krasnoflotskiye Islands

Located just south of October Revolution Island in the Kara Sea. The Krasnoflotskiye Islands (russian: link=no, Краснофлотские) extend from north to south in an almost straight line . The main islands are ''Sverdlova'' – very close to Cape Sverdlov on the coast, ''Bolshoy'' – not much larger than the others despite its name, ''Sredniy'' and ''Greben'' far offshore. All islands are devoid of vegetation. to the SW of Greben Island lie two small islets named ''Opasnye'', which are also part of this group. The Krasnoflotskiye Islands were first sighted and mapped in August 1932 by the expedition of the
All-Union Arctic Institute , image = , image_upright = , alt = , caption = , latin_name = , motto = , founder = , established = , mission = , focus = Researc ...
on icebreaker Rusanov. There is an Arctic Station in the Krasnoflotskiye Islands (AS-042), which has been operating since 1953.


Maly Taymyr and Starokadomsky

This is a small group including two main islands located in the Laptev Sea, off the far southeastern end of Bolshevik Island.
Maly Taymyr Maly Taymyr Island (russian: Малый Таймыр, or Little Taymyr Island) is an island in the Laptev Sea, Russian Arctic. Geography It is located off the southeastern end of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and northeast of the Taymyr Peninsu ...
, the largest island, has a land surface of and is at . Maly Taymyr was discovered by
Boris Vilkitsky Boris Andreyevich Vilkitsky (russian: Бори́с Андре́евич Вильки́цкий) (22 March (3 April N.S.) 1885, Pulkovo – 6 March 1961) was a Russian hydrographer and surveyor. He was the son of Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky. ...
during the
Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition The Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition (GESLO) (1910–1915) was a scientific expedition organized by Russia for the purpose of the development of the Northern Sea Route. This expedition accomplished its goal of exploring the uncharted areas ...
in 1913 and was named "Tsarevich Alexei Island" (russian: link=no, Остров Цесаревича Алексея), after the son of Zar
Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
of Russia. Following the 1917
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
the island was renamed "Maly Taymyr". In 2005 an official request was forwarded to the local government in Krasnoyarsk Krai in order to reinstate its former name to the island as ''Alexei Island''. '' Starokadomsky Island'' is close by to Maly Taymyr, located off its northwestern side and separated from it by a narrow sound. This island was named after Dr.
Leonid Starokadomsky Leonid (russian: Леонид ; uk, Леонід ; be, Леанід, Ljeaníd ) is a Slavic version of the given name Leonidas. The French version is Leonide. People with the name include: *Leonid Andreyev (1871–1919), Russian playwright an ...
, one of the leaders of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition.


Lishniy Island

Lishniy Island (russian: link=no, Лишний) is a coastal island located on the eastern side of the mouth of
Akhmatov Fjord Akhmatov Fjord, also known as Akhmatov Bay (russian: Залив Ахматова, ''Zaliv Akhmatova''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This fjord is clogged by ice most of the year. History The fjord was named ...
, southeast of
Cape Unslicht Cape Unslicht (russian: Мыс Песчаный, ''Mys Peschanyy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. Geography Stretching out northwards NW of the Akhmatov Fjord and east of the mouth of Mikoyan Bay, this headland is the northernmost ...
, off Bolshevik Island's northern end at . The island has an irregular shape and is long with a maximum width of . A deep round lake with a diameter of is located in the western part of the island and is connected to the sea by a small channel. Almost all the island is rocky, except for the northwestern part. The highest point of Lishniy Island is South of Lishniy lies ''Yuzhnyy'', a smaller island, and two islets. Lishniy off Severnaya Zemlya should not be confused with Lishny Island off
Toll Bay Toll Bay, (russian: Залив Толля) is a bay in the Kara Sea, Russia. Administratively, Toll Bay and its adjacent area belong to the Krasnoyarsk Krai administrative division of the Russian Federation. Geography Toll Bay is located in the ...
, south of the
Firnley Islands The Firnley Islands ( rus, острова Фирнлея; ''Ostrova Firnleya'', nn, Firnleyøyane) is a group of three small islands covered with tundra vegetation and with scattered stones on their shores. They lie in the Kara Sea, close to the ...
.


Climate

Severnaya Zemlya is consistently cold and quite dry (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''ET'' bordering on ''EF''), with a mean annual temperature of , mean annual precipitation of about , and generally overcast skies. Monthly average temperature ranges from in February to in July. The archipelago sees large temperature fluctuations during winter months, as low-pressure cyclonic activity originating in the North Atlantic make their way across the Arctic, bringing precipitation and higher temperatures. These cyclones are most common in September and October, which see 30% of annual precipitation. Snowfall in summer is common as temperatures hover around , although higher temperatures occur when warm air masses move north from Siberia.


Flora and fauna

Severnaya Zemlya is a
polar desert Polar deserts are the regions of Earth that fall under an ice cap climate (''EF'' under the Köppen classification). Despite rainfall totals low enough to normally classify as a desert, polar deserts are distinguished from true deserts (' or ' un ...
with sparse vegetation and
permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...
at less than . Rare
vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plants ( accepted known species) that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They al ...
include species of ''
Cerastium ''Cerastium'' is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ear chickweed. Species are found nearly worldwide but the greatest concentration is in the northern tem ...
'' and ''
Saxifraga ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 465 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...
''. Non-vascular plants include the
moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...
genera '' Detrichum'', ''
Dicranum ''Dicranum'' is a genus of mosses, also called wind-blown mosses or fork mosses. These mosses form in densely packed clumps. Stems may fork, but do not branch. In general, upright stems will be single but packed together. ''Dicranum'' is distrib ...
'', ''
Pogonatum ''Pogonatum'' is a genus of mosses — commonly called spike moss — which contains approximately 70 species that cover a cosmopolitan distribution. It can be seen mostly in Asian countries with a tropical climate. Species There ar ...
'', ''
Sanionia ''Sanionia'' is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Amblystegiaceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution, and was circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all ...
'', ''
Bryum ''Bryum'' is a genus of mosses in the family Bryaceae. It was considered the largest genus of mosses, in terms of the number of species (over 1000), until it was split into three separate genera in a 2005 publication. As of 2013, the classificat ...
'', '' Orthothecium'' and ''
Tortula ''Tortula'' is a genus of mosses in the family Pottiaceae. Species There are different classifications for the species included in the genus. The delimitation of genus Tortula is problematic and was subject to a number of alterations in the pa ...
'', as well as the
lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Cetraria ''Cetraria'' is a genus of fruticose lichens that associate with green algae as photobionts. Most species are found at high latitudes, occurring on sand or heath. Species have a characteristic "strap-like" form, with spiny lobe edges. '' Cetra ...
'', ''
Thamnolia ''Thamnolia'' is a genus of lichens in the family Icmadophilaceae. Members of the genus are commonly called whiteworm lichens. Two species of ''Thamnolia'' are used by ethnic peoples of Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked pro ...
'', '' Cornicularia'', ''
Lecidea ''Lecidea'' is a genus of crustose lichens with a carbon black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruiting body disc (apothecium), usually (or always) found growing on (saxicolous) or in (endolithic) rock.Field Guide to California Lichens, ...
'', ''
Ochrolechia ''Ochrolechia'' is a genus of crustose lichens in the family Ochrolechiaceae. Species , Species Fungorum accepts 38 species of ''Ochrolechia'': *'' Ochrolechia aegaea'' *'' Ochrolechia africana'' *'' Ochrolechia alaskana'' *'' Ochrolechia a ...
'' and ''
Parmelia Parmelia may refer to: * Parmelia (barque), the vessel that in 1829 transported the first settlers of the British colony of Western Australia * ''Parmelia'' (fungus), a genus of lichens with global distribution * Parmelia, Western Australia Pa ...
''. Common flowering plants of the high
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
such as the
purple saxifrage ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky ...
(''Saxifraga oppositifolia'') and the Arctic poppy (''Papaver radicatum'') also occur on Severnaya Zemlya. According to a survey of prior observations by De Korte, Volkov, and Gavrilo, thirty-two bird species have been observed on Severnaya Zemlya, 17 of which are known to breed on the islands. Eight species are widespread across the archipelago: five of which are colonial seabirds:
little auk The little auk or dovekie (''Alle alle'') is a small auk, the only member of the genus ''Alle''. ''Alle'' is the Sami name of the long-tailed duck; it is onomatopoeic and imitates the call of the drake duck. Linnaeus was not particularly famil ...
(''Alle alle''),
black-legged kittiwake The black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'') is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' as ''Larus tridactylus''. The English ...
(''Rissa tridactyla''),
black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...
(''Cepphus grylle''),
ivory gull The ivory gull (''Pagophila eburnea'') is a small gull, the only species in the genus ''Pagophila''. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia. Taxonomy The ivory ...
(''Pagophila eburnea''), and
glaucous gull The glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus'') is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. It breeds in Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and winters south to shores of the Holarctic. The genus name is from Latin ''larus'', which a ...
(''Larus hyperboreus''); and three species of tundra bird: the
snow bunting The snow bunting (''Plectrophenax nivalis'') is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few hig ...
(''Plectrophenax nivalis''),
purple sandpiper The purple sandpiper (''Calidris maritima'') is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America and winters further south on the Atlant ...
(''Calidris maritima''), and
brent goose The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus '' Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra. The Brent oilfield was named after ...
(''Branta bernicla'').Bird Observations in Severnaya Zemlya, Siberia
(PDF). Retrieved on 19 October 2010.
The most common mammal on Severnaya Zemlya is the
collared lemming ''Dicrostonyx'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the collared lemmings. They are the only North American rodents that turn completely white in winter. It contains the following species: * Northern collared lemming (''Dic ...
(''Dicrostonyx torquatus''), also known as Arctic lemming, which is present on all of the large islands and, in some places has been recorded to reach a density of 500 per km2 (1,300 per sq mi). The
Arctic fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in co ...
(''Alopex lagopus'') has been known to den on the islands, with several hundred observed in the 1980s. Other mammals occasionally observed include the
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
(''Canis lupus''), the
polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...
(''Ursus maritimus''), ermine (''Mustela erminea''),
walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...
(''Odobenus rosmarus''),
Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and ...
(''Lepus timidus''), and
reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...
(''Rangifer tarandus''). File:Saxifraga oppositifolia in Czechia.jpg,
Purple saxifrage ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky ...
. File:AlleAlle 2.jpg, Severnaya Zemlya is the easternmost point in the
little auk The little auk or dovekie (''Alle alle'') is a small auk, the only member of the genus ''Alle''. ''Alle'' is the Sami name of the long-tailed duck; it is onomatopoeic and imitates the call of the drake duck. Linnaeus was not particularly famil ...
's breeding range. File:Uria Lomvia 1 3.jpg,
Thick-billed murre The thick-billed murre or Brünnich's guillemot (''Uria lomvia'') is a bird in the auk family (Alcidae). This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich. The very deeply black North Pacific subspecies ''Uria lomvia arra'' i ...
(''Uria lomvia''). File:Dicrostonyx torquatus.jpg,
Collared lemming ''Dicrostonyx'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the collared lemmings. They are the only North American rodents that turn completely white in winter. It contains the following species: * Northern collared lemming (''Dic ...
(''Dicrostonyx torquatus''), the most common mammal on Severnaya Zemlya.


In culture

The discovery of Severnaya Zemlya is the subject of
Veniamin Kaverin Veniamin Aleksandrovich Kaverin (russian: link=no, Вениами́н Алекса́ндрович Каве́рин; Вениами́н А́белевич Зи́льбер (Veniamin Abelevich Zilber); , Pskov – May 2, 1989, Moscow) was a Sovi ...
's novel ''
The Two Captains ''The Two Captains'' (russian: Два Капитана) is a novel written by Soviet author Veniamin Kaverin between 1938 and 1944. It is Kaverin's best known work and is considered one of the most popular works of Soviet literature, winning the ...
'' as well as its stage adaptation, ''
Nord-Ost ''Nord-Ost'' (russian: Норд-Ост, means "North-East" in German) is a Russian musical theatre production that was composed by Aleksei Ivaschenko and Georgii Vasilyev, based on the novel ''The Two Captains'' by Veniamin Kaverin. It is a fict ...
''. The location of a secret Russian space weapons control facility is called Severnaya in the 1995
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''
GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the ser ...
.'' In several maps seen onscreen, however, this Severnaya is depicted as being in central
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
. Severnaya is a level in ''GoldenEye 007'', a 1997 video game based on the Bond film. Severnaya is the site of a Kaiju-controlled rogue Jaeger (giant
mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
) in the 2018 film ''
Pacific Rim Uprising ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' is a 2018 American science fiction film, science fiction Monster movie, monster film directed by Steven S. DeKnight (in his List of directorial debuts, feature-film directorial and writing debut), and written by DeKnig ...
''. Severnaya is the site of the final act of the 2021 movie ''
The Tomorrow War ''The Tomorrow War'' is a 2021 American military science fiction action film directed by Chris McKay, written by Zach Dean, and starring Chris Pratt. It was produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, David S. Goyer, Jules Daly, and Ad ...
'', where the protagonists locate a crashed spaceship holding the dormant White Spike Aliens.


See also

*
List of islands of Russia A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of fjords of Russia This is a list of the most important fjords of the Russian Federation. Fjords In spite of the vastness of the Arctic coastlines of the Russian Federation there are relatively few fjords in Russia. Fjords are circumscribed to certain areas only; ...
*
List of glaciers of Russia This is a list of glaciers in Russia. It includes glaciers, ice caps and ice domes located in the Russian Federation. List of glaciers and ice caps Ice caps * Academy of Sciences Glacier () – Severnaya Zemlya. Largest single ice formation i ...
*
List of research stations in the Arctic A number of governments maintain permanent research stations in the Arctic. Also known as Arctic bases, polar stations or ice stations, these bases are widely distributed across the northern polar region of Earth. Historically few research st ...


References


External links

* *
Arctic photos of Severnaya Zemlya
by Ólafur Ingólfsson * List of islands (Russian language)
Glacial and Environmental History of Severnaya Zemlya, Siberian High Arctic, During the Last > 130,000 years
{{Authority control Archipelagoes of the Kara Sea Archipelagoes of the Laptev Sea Islands of Siberia Archipelagoes of Krasnoyarsk Krai Uninhabited islands of Russia