The Medvezhyi Islands, or Bear Islands (russian: Медве́жьи острова́; sah, Эhэлээх арыылар, ''Eheleex Arıılar'') is an uninhabited group of islands at the western end of the
Kolyma Gulf
The Kolyma Gulf ( Yakut: Халыма хомото, ''Xalıma xomoto''; Russian: Колымский залив, ''Kolymskiy Zaliv'') is the largest gulf of the East Siberian Sea. Geography
The gulf is more than 300 km wide. Its limits are th ...
of the
East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea ( rus, Восто́чно-Сиби́рское мо́ре, r=Vostochno-Sibirskoye more) is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the Arctic Cape to the north, the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Si ...
.
History
The first recorded European to report the existence of the Medvezhyi Islands was Russian explorer
Yakov Permyakov
Yakov Permyakov (russian: Яков Пермяков; died 1712) was a Russian seafarer, explorer, merchant, and Cossack.
In 1710, while sailing from the Lena River to the Kolyma River, Permyakov observed the silhouette of two unknown island group ...
in 1710. While sailing from the
Lena
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
to the
Kolyma River
The Kolyma ( rus, Колыма, p=kəlɨˈma; sah, Халыма, translit=Khalyma) is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia.
The Kolyma is frozen ...
, Permyakov observed the silhouette of the unknown island group in the then little explored East Siberian Sea.
In 1820-1824, during
Ferdinand Wrangel
Baron Ferdinand Friedrich Georg Ludwig von Wrangel (russian: Барон Фердина́нд Петро́вич Вра́нгель, tr. ; – ) was a Baltic German explorer and seaman in the Imperial Russian Navy, Honorable Member of the Saint ...
's Arctic expedition to the East Siberian Sea and the
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west b ...
, Arctic explorer
Fyodor Matyushkin
Fyodor Fyodorovich Matyushkin (russian: Матюшкин, Федор Федорович; - ) was a Russian navigator, Admiral (1867), and a close friend of Aleksandr Pushkin, who studied with him at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. ''Сло ...
surveyed and mapped Chetyryokhstolbovoy Island in the Medvezhyi group.
On September 3, 1878,
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 ...
recorded that he sailed close to the island group in the steamship
''Vega''. This report was made during the famous expedition that made the whole length of 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 ...
for the first time in history.
The group was also explored 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 ...
of 1910–1915.
Geography
The Medvezhyi Islands are located about north of the mouths of the
Kolyma River
The Kolyma ( rus, Колыма, p=kəlɨˈma; sah, Халыма, translit=Khalyma) is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia.
The Kolyma is frozen ...
. They are part of the
East Siberian Lowland
The East Siberian Lowland ( rus, Восточно-Сибирская низменность), also known as Yana-Kolyma Lowland,Oleg Leonidovič Kryžanovskij, ''A Checklist of the Ground-beetles of Russia and Adjacent Lands.'' p. 16 is a vast plai ...
.
[Oleg Leonidovič Kryžanovskij, ''A Checklist of the Ground-beetles of Russia and Adjacent Lands.'' p. 16] The coast of
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 ...
is about southwest of Krestovsky, the largest island, which is about in length.
The sea surrounding the Medvezhyi Islands is covered with fast ice in the winter and the climate is severe. The surrounding sea is obstructed by pack ice even in the summer months. There is commercial fishing in the area of the islands during the summer.
This island group is a part of the territory of the
Sakha Republic
Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),, is the largest republic of Russia, located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of roughly 1 million. Sakha comprises half of the area of its governing Far Eas ...
of Russia. As their name indicates, these islands are a refuge and breeding ground for
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 ...
s.
Islands
There are six islands in the group: Krestovsky, Leontyev, Pushkarev, Lysova, Andreev and Chetyryokhstolbovoy, where there is a
polar station
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 sta ...
which was inaugurated in 1933.
The islands are formed of stacked granite, clay and shale. They are mostly covered with
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 ...
vegetation.
Geography
Climate
Features of the islands
File:Chetyrekstolbovoy 1 2014-08-22.jpg, Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island (70°37‘50‘‘N, 162°22’30’’E)
File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 2 2014-08-22.jpg, Kigilyakh
Kigilyakh or kisiliyakh ( rus, кигиляхи; sah, киһилээх, meaning "stone person") are tall, pillar-like natural rock formations looking like tall monoliths standing more or less isolated. Usually they are composed of granite or s ...
stone pillars on Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island. Kigilyakh means "stone man" in Yakut.
File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 3 2014-08-22.jpg, Kigilyakhs on Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island
File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 4 2014-08-22.jpg, Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island (Polar Station)
File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 5 2014-08-22.jpg, Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island
File:Krestovsky 1 2014-08-22.jpg, Krestovsky Island
(70°48’N, 160°40’E)
See also
*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 ...
*Fyodor Matyushkin
Fyodor Fyodorovich Matyushkin (russian: Матюшкин, Федор Федорович; - ) was a Russian navigator, Admiral (1867), and a close friend of Aleksandr Pushkin, who studied with him at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. ''Сло ...
Amateur Radio Expedition to Leontyeva Island, Medvezhyi Islands RI0LI
References
{{Authority control
Archipelagoes of the East Siberian Sea
Archipelagoes of the Sakha Republic
Uninhabited islands of Russia