Yaya (russian: Яя) is a sandy

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanen ...

Russia 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 ...

, in 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 ...

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, t ...

. Its length is about 370 metres and is 125 metres wide. Discovered in 2013, it expanded the Russian maritime exclusive economic zone by 452 square kilometers."Территория России пополнилась новым островом"
'' vesti.ru'', December 4, 2013 (retrieved February 7, 2015)"Яя наш!"
'' gazeta.ru,'' October 11, 2014 (retrieved February 7, 2015)

Discovery

The island was discovered in the , which formed in the mid-20th century from a melted ice island, Vasilyevsky Island. It was sighted in September 2014 from a helicopter which delivered cargo for the construction of a military base on

Kotelny Island Kotelny Island ( rus, Остров Котельный, r=Ostrov Kotelny; sah, Олгуйдаах Aрыы, translit=Olguydaax Arııta) is part of the Anzhu Islands subgroup of the New Siberian Islands located between the Laptev Sea and the East ...

. In November 2014 the

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

'' Admiral Vladimirsky'' explored the island and officially confirmed its existence. The commander of the helicopter crew explained the name 'Yaya'. "Ya" (я) means the pronoun "I" in Russian. When the island was sighted, everybody started shouting: "I, I discovered it!"

References

{{Laptev Sea Islands Islands of the Laptev Sea Islands of the Sakha Republic New islands