The Kanin Peninsula () is a large peninsula in

Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (; ) also known as Nenetsia ( ) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of and a population of 42,090 ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Geography

It is surrounded by the

White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...

to the west and by the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...

to the north and east. Shoyna (also spelled Shoina) is one of the few communities on the peninsula and situated on the western side. A settlement of some 300 people in 2010, historically it had a much larger population (1,500 in the 1950s). However, the destruction of the local fishing industry as a result of overfishing led to a loss of population in the region, resulting in much of the settlement being reclaimed by sand. An airstrip and lighthouse are also near Shoyna.

Fauna

For cetaceans, beluga whales are most commonly found. Male

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...

s are known to occur as well.

Butterflies

There are 29 butterfly species in the forest-tundra and 14 species in the hypoarctic tundra. The data on the fauna and distribution of species in the forest-tundra of the Kanin Peninsula are generally typical of this natural zone. The most abundant species are '' Erebia disa'', '' Oeneis norna'', '' Clossiana freija'', '' Pieris napi'', and '' Vacciniina optilete''. The dominant species in southern tundra localities are '' Erebia euryale'', '' Erebia pandrose'', and '' Boloria aquilonaris'', which coincides with the result of the 1903 research. A high abundance of ''E. pandrose'' is a specific feature of the northern part of the Kanin Peninsula and Kolguev Island, pointing to the connection of the biota of these territories with the subarctic regions of

Fennoscandia __NOTOC__ Fennoscandia (Finnish language, Finnish, Swedish language, Swedish and ; ), or the Fennoscandian Peninsula, is a peninsula in Europe which includes the Scandinavian Peninsula, Scandinavian and Kola Peninsula, Kola peninsulas, mainland ...

Climate

The climate on the Kanin Peninsula has cold winters with moderate maritime influences and cool summers. The north has a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(''ET'') and the south a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(''Dfc'') thanks to the warmer summers.

References

{{Authority control Peninsulas of Russia Landforms of Nenets Autonomous Okrug