The Plavnikovye Islands (Russian: острова Плавниковые; Ostrova Plavnikovyye) is a group of islands, in 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. ...

eastern region, off the coast of

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, 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 ...

. These islands are covered with tundra vegetation and there are many lakes and swamps. They are under snow and ice during most of the year. The largest islands of the Plavnikovye Archipelago are Pestsovy Island and Krugly Island. Most of these islands are located and less than 10 km west of the deeply indented 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. Administrat ...

. But others, like Vardroppera Island, are far offshore. The eastern group of islands, including Kosterina and Pestsovy, are also known as Vkhodnye Islands. The Plavnikovye Islands, lie south of the small Kolosovykh peninsula. Geologically they are part of the Minina Skerries, a complex formation that includes the

Kolosovykh Islands Kolosovykh Island (russian: остров Колосовых; Ostrov Kolosovykh) is an island, in the Kara Sea off the coast of Siberia. Geography Kolosovykh Island is located north of the Kolosovykh Peninsula, which is almost an island itself. T ...

further north. This island group is located between 73° 15' and 74° 40' N and between 84° and 86° 30' E. The sea surrounding the Plavnikovye Islands is covered with fast ice in the winter and the climate is severe, with bitter and long winters. The surrounding sea is obstructed by pack ice even in the summer. This island group belongs to the

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 Si ...

administrative division of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. It is also part of the

Great Arctic State Nature Reserve The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve (russian: Большой Арктический государственный природный заповедник) is a nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife san ...

, the largest nature reserve of Russia. The Plavnikovye Islands should not be confused with Plavnikovy Island (Ostrov Plavnikovy), off the western shores of

Severnaya Zemlya 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 ...

, also in the Kara Sea.

References

* Nature Reserve

*

Albert Hastings Markham Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham (11 November 1841 – 28 October 1918) was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy. In 1903 he was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He is also remembered for desig ...

. Arctic Exploration, 1895 * Armstrong, T., ''The Russians in the Arctic'', London, 1958. * Early Soviet Exploration

* History of Russian Arctic Exploration

References

See also