Hooker Island (russian: остров Гукера; ''Ostrov Gukera'') is one of the central islands of

Franz Josef Land , native_name = , image_name = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg , image_caption = Map of Franz Josef Land , image_size = , map_image = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg , map_caption = Location of Franz Josef ...

. It is located in the central area of the archipelago at . It is administered by the

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast (russian: Арха́нгельская о́бласть, ''Arkhangelskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solo ...

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-ei ...

History

Hooker Island was discovered by the 1880 expedition to Franz Josef Land led by Benjamin Leigh Smith. It was named after British naturalist Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker who went with James Clark Ross' expedition on ships ''Erebus'' and ''Terror'' to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

in 1839. Remains of a

plesiosaur The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appea ...

''(Peloneustes philarchus)'' have been found in Hooker Island.

Caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

antlers have been found as well, suggesting that herds reached here up to about 1,300 years ago during a period where the earth had a warmer climate. Tikhaya Bay was the site of a major base for polar expeditions, and the location of a meteorological station from 1929 to 1963. There is another bay in the south of the island called Zaliv Makarova and another in the east known as Ledn. Eleniy. The island was visited by the Graf Zeppelin airship in July 1931 during a landmark aerial survey.

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

staff were marooned here from 1941 to 1945 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. A graveyard and two modern buildings exist.

Geography

The highest point in Hooker Island is the summit of the western

ice dome Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Ty ...

, ''Kupol Dzhensona'' (Купол Дженсона), at . There is another ice dome further north ''Kupol Yuriya'' (Купол Юрия), as well as a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

with its terminus in the southern shore, the Obruchev Glacier. To the southwest, De Bruyne Sound separates the island from Northbrook Island. To the north, the Young Sound separates Hooker Island from the islands of Koetlitz, Nansen, Pritchet, and several others. Hooker Island's northwestern cape, Mys Alberta Markgama, is named after Sir Albert Hastings Markham; the northeastern cape is called Mys Lyuis Pul. The westernmost cape is Mys Dandy and the southwestern one is Mys Ugol'nyy. The southernmost cape is called Mys Sesil Kharmswort. On Hooker Island's western side there is a bay in an unglaciated area, Tikhaya Bay (Бухта Тихая, ). A large seabird colony exists near Tikhaya Bay at Skala Rubini (Скала Рубини, Rubini Rock, ), a spectacular rock formation of columnar

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

on Hooker Island's shore. This place is the home of many birds.

Adjacent islands

Leigh-Smith Island

''Ostrov Li-Smita'' (Остров Ли-Смита), Leigh-Smith Island lies east of Hooker island, separated from it by a 6 km wide sound called Proliv Smitsona. It is 14 km long and has a maximum width of 6.5 km. The island's highest point is 309 m and its surface is wholly glacierized except for a small area at its northern point and another around Mys Bitterburga, its southernmost cape. This island is named after British yachtsman and explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith.Benjamin Leigh Smith
/ref>

Royal Society Island

West of Leigh-Smith Island's northern end, off Hooker island's northeastern shore, there is a smaller island known as Royal Society Island (Остров Королевского Общества), named after the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(). It is 6 km long and has a maximum width of 2.5 km.

Scott-Keltie Island

''Ostrov Skott-Kyelti'' (Остров Скотт-Келти), Scott-Keltie Island, highest point 64 m, is an island off Bukhta Tikhaya, in the northwest of Hooker Island. This island was named in honor of Sir

John Scott Keltie Sir John Scott Keltie (29 March 1840 – 12 January 1927) was a Scottish geographer, best known for his work with the Royal Geographical Society. History Keltie was born in Dundee and attended school in Perth. He matriculated at the Universi ...

(1840-1927), Scottish geographer.

Eaton Island

''Ostrov Iton'' (Остров Итон), Eaton Island, is a small, 3 km long island lying 10 km to the west of Scott-Keltie Island. Eaton Island was named after British scientist Rev. Alfred Edvin Eaton (1844-1929), who studied the Arctic flora and fauna and travelled to

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group rang ...

and Kerguelen.

Newton Island

''Ostrov Niutona'' (Остров Ньютона), Newton Island, is a small island located 11 km due south off Hooker Island's southern shore. This island was named in honor of Alfred Newton.

May Island

''Ostrov Mey'' (Остров Мей), May Island, is a double small island lying 5 km off Hooker Island's southwestern shores. It was named after Royal Navy officer and watercolour artist Walter Waller May (1830-1896).

Etheridge Islands

''Ostrova Eteridzh'' (Острова Этеридж), the Etheridge Islands, are a group of two small islets located about 6 km west of May Island. These islands were named in honor of scientist Robert Etheridge who studied the

Paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

of the coasts of the Arctic lands visited by the British Arctic Expedition under Captain Sir George Nares.

References

External links

*
Arctic Photo 1

Toronto "Hooker Island"
{{Franz Josef Land Islands of Franz Josef Land Seabird colonies Populated places of Arctic Russia