The Plavnikovye Islands (Russian: острова Плавниковые; Ostrova Plavnikovyye) is a group of islands, in the Kara Sea eastern region, off the coast of Siberia. 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. 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 The Minina Skerries (Russian: Шхеры Минина; ''Shkhery Minina'') are located in the Kara Sea, in the northwestern shores of Siberia. They stretch between the Mikhailov Peninsula and the mouths of the river Pyasina. Their latitude is bet ...

, 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 administrative division of the Russian Federation. It is also part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve, 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, also in the Kara Sea.

References

* Nature Reserve

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

* History of Russian Arctic Exploration

References

See also