Cape Schmidt ( rus, Мыс Шми́дта; ''Mys Shmidta'' or Мыс Отто Шмидта; ''Mys Otto Shmidta'';
Chukchi: Ир-Каппея ; ''Il-Kappeya''), formerly known as Cape North, is a headland in 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 ...
, part of
Iultinsky District
Iultinsky District (russian: Иу́льтинский райо́н; Chukchi: , ''Ivyltin rajon'') is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #149-OZ district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in th ...
of the
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka (russian: Чуко́тка), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,, ''Čukotkakèn avtonomnykèn okrug'', is the easternmost federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous okrug situated in the Russian Far East, and shares a bo ...
,
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia
North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographic ...
.
Geography
This headland is a rocky promontory located at the end of a
spit.
Cape Yakan
Cape Yakan (russian: Мыс Якан – ''Mys Yakan'') is a headland on the northern coast of Chukotka, Russian Federation. This conspicuous cape, whose name in the Chukchi language means "use", was mentioned by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in his V ...
is located to the west and
Cape Vankarem to the east of Cape Schmidt.
The settlement of
Mys Shmidta is located southeast of the headland and the
Chukchi locality of
Ryrkaypiy is located closer to the southwest.
An abandoned military base sits on the coast of the headland.
Climate
History
A Neolithic site of ancient marine hunters was found on the shore of Cape Schmidt. There are remains of ancient huts at the foot of the cliffs on the western side and there was an ancient Chukchi fortification at the top.
[''Валерий Купецкий.']
Мыс Отто Шмидта
// газета «Полярная звезда», 3 октября 1991 г.
The local name of the landhead was ''Il-Kappeya'', meaning "
Walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large 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 the f ...
constipation" in the
Chukchi language
Chukchi , also known as Chukot, is a Chukotko–Kamchatkan language spoken by the Chukchi people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The language is closely related to Koryak. Chukchi, Koryak, Kerek, ...
.
James Cook named the headland "Cape North" in 1778 when he sailed through the
Bering Strait and into 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 ...
,
[Beaglehole, p. 621] demonstrating to people in Europe and North America that Russia and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
were separated.
[Serreze & Barry, p. 5] The cape was renamed after Soviet scientist and first head of the
Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route
The Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route (russian: Главное Управление Северного Морского Пути , translit=Glavnoe upravlenie Severnogo morskogo puti), also known as Glavsevmorput or GUSMP (russian: ГУ� ...
,
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, stat ...
in 1934.
See also
*
Mys Shmidta Airport __NOTOC__
Mys Shmidta Airport (russian: Аэропорт Мыс Шмидта) , also known as Cape Shmidt Airport, is a former military airbase
An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, ai ...
Bibliography
*
J. C. Beaglehole. ''The Life of Captain James Cook''.
*M. C. Serreze and R. G. Barry.
The Arctic Climate System'
References
External links
Weather in Schmidt (cape)
Schmidt
Landforms of the Chukchi Sea
{{ChukotkaAutonomousOkrug-geo-stub