Chechen Island (; ) is a coastal island on the western shore of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. It is located 20 km east of Krainovka right off the headland on the northern tip of the Agrakhan Peninsula. This island belongs to the Republic of Dagestan, a federal subject of the

Russian Federation 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 ...

. The island has a length of and a maximum width of 10 km. The sea around Chechen Island usually freezes between January and March. Adjacent islands include Lopatin Island (also known as Lopatina), Bazar, Prygunki, Pichuzhonok and Yaichnyy Island and are collectively known as the 'Chechen Archipelago'.

History

One of the islands first mentions was around 1500 under the name ''sicamatela'' on an Italian map. The island is named after the Chechens. According to the Russian geographer and military man, the Chechens were previously settled up to the sea. German explorer Samuel Gmelin, who visited the area up until 1774, mentions how Chechens would go fishing on the island.In 1863 the

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on the island was built by English builders. In tsarist times, the island was used as a place of exile. During the Civil War, being an important stronghold of oil shipping, it changed hands. In 1918, the British located a naval aviation base on the island, which they were going to use to bomb the ships of the Volga flotilla based in Astrakhan. In April 1920, by the forces of the Volga-Caspian military flotilla, he was finally assigned to the RSFSR.

Ecology

There are many birds on Chechen Island, especially seagulls.Caspian Sea Biodiversity Project
/ref> In very cold winters herds of '' Saiga tatarica'' find refuge in the island.

Notes

References

External links

Radio operators
Islands of Russia Landforms of Dagestan Seabird colonies Islands of the Caspian Sea {{Dagestan-geo-stub