Yakov Sannikov () (January 29, 1780,

Ust-Yansk Ust-Yansk (russian: Усть-Янск; sah, Усуйаана, ''Usuyaana'') is a rural locality (a '' selo''), the only inhabited locality, and the administrative center of Ust-Yansky Rural Okrug of Ust-Yansky District in the Sakha Republic, Rus ...

– 1810s, Sakha Republic) was a Russian merchant and explorer of 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 ...

. In 1800, Sannikov discovered and charted Stolbovoy Island, and in 1805

Faddeyevsky 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 1809–1810, he took part in the expedition led by

Matvei Gedenschtrom Matvei Matveyevich Gedenschtrom ( sv, Mathias Hedenström; russian: link=no, Матвей Матвеевич Геденштром; 1780 – ) was a Russian explorer of Northern Siberia, writer, and public servant. Matvei Gedenschtrom was born in ...

. In 1810, Sannikov crossed the island of

New Siberia New Siberia (russian: Но́вая Сиби́рь, ; English transliteration: ''Novaya Sibir'', ; sah, Саҥа Сибиир, translit=Saña Sibiir) is the easternmost of the Anzhu Islands, the northern subgroup of the New Siberian Islands ...

and a year later explored Faddeyevsky Island. He also discovered

Bunge Land Bunge Land or Zemlya Bunge is a huge empty and almost barren intermediate zone in the Anzhu Islands north of Siberia. It is located between Kotelny and Faddeyevsky, which, unlike Bunge Land, could be described as proper islands. Sandy and flat, i ...

, and suggested that there was a vast land north of the

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 ...

. This hypothetical island has become known as

Sannikov Land Sannikov Land (russian: Земля Санникова) was a phantom island in the Arctic Ocean. Its supposed existence became something of a myth in 19th-century Russia. History Yakov Sannikov and Matvei Gedenschtrom claimed to have seen the ...

. Sannikov died in the 1810s, most likely in 1812. A

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

between

Maly Lyakhovsky Maly Lyakhovsky Island (russian: Малый Ляховский) is the second largest of the Lyakhovsky Islands belonging to the New Siberian Islands archipelago in Laptev Sea in northern Russia. It has an area of . The Lyakhovsky Islands are ...

and the Kotelny islands bears Sannikov's name.

References

1780 births 1810s deaths Year of death uncertain People from Ust-Yansky District Russian and Soviet polar explorers Explorers from the Russian Empire Explorers of Asia New Siberian Islands Russian merchants 19th-century businesspeople from the Russian Empire {{Explorer-stub