Severnaya Zemlya (, ) is a

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

in the Russian high

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

. It lies off

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Taymyr Peninsula The Taymyr Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administratively it is part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai Federal subject of Russia. Ge ...

, separated from the mainland by the

Vilkitsky Strait : Vilkitsky Strait () is a strait between the Taimyr Peninsula and Bolshevik Island in the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago of Russia. The strait connects the Kara and Laptev Seas. The length of the Vilkitsky Strait is 128 km, the width approx. ...

. This archipelago separates two marginal seas of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

, the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. Ultimately the Kara, Barents and Laptev Seas are all ...

in the west and the

Laptev Sea The Laptev Sea () is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, the Taimyr Peninsula, Severnaya Zemlya, and the New Siberian Islands. Its northern boundary passes from the Arctic Cape to a point with ...

in the east. Severnaya Zemlya was first noted in 1913 and first charted in 1930–32, making it the last sizeable

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

to be explored. Administratively, the islands form part of Russia's

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia located in Siberia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Krasnoyarsk, the second-largest city in Siberia after ...

. In

Soviet times The history of the Soviet Union (USSR) (1922–91) began with the ideals of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution and ended in dissolution amidst economic collapse and political disintegration. Established in 1922 following the Russian Civil War, ...

there were a number of research stations in different locations, but currently there are no human inhabitants in Severnaya Zemlya, except for the Prima Polar Station near

Cape Baranov Cape Baranov (; ''Mys Baranova'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. History The Laptev Sea shore of present-day Severnaya Zemlya was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913 during the Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition on behalf of th ...

. The largest

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

in the Russian Federation, the

Academy of Sciences Glacier The Academy of Sciences Glacier (; ''Lednik Akademii Nauk'') is a large ice cap on Komsomolets Island, Severnaya Zemlya, Russian Federation. It is the largest in Severnaya Zemlya and is also the largest single glacier formation of Russia. Histo ...

, is located in Severnaya Zemlya. Until recently, ice joined the islands to

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

, even at its smallest extent during the late summer melt season, blocking the

Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP; , ) is the Arctic shipping routes, shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islan ...

between the Atlantic and the Pacific. By the late summer of 2012, however, due to

Arctic sea ice decline Sea ice in the Arctic region has declined in recent decades in area and volume due to climate change. It has been melting more in summer than it refreezes in winter. Global warming, caused by Radiative forcing#Forcing due to changes in atmospheri ...

the permanent ice had reached a record low extent and open water appeared to the south of the archipelago.

History

Although Severnaya Zemlya lies not far off the northern coast of Siberia, cartographers did not formally record it until the 20th century. Earlier explorers deemed that there was a land mass in the general area - note for example the report by

Matvei Gedenschtrom Mathias or Matthias Hedenström ( Swedish; 1780 – ), also known by his Russian name Matvei Matveyevich Gedenshtrom (), was a Russian explorer of Northern Siberia, writer, and public servant. Life Gedenshtrom was born in Riga, then part of the ...

and

Yakov Sannikov Yakov Sannikov () was a Russian '' promyshlennik'' and explorer of the New Siberian Islands. In 1800, Sannikov discovered and charted Stolbovoy Island, and in 1805 Faddeyevsky Island. In 1809–1810, he took part in the expedition led by Matv ...

made in 1810 at the time of their exploration of the

New Siberian Islands The New Siberian Islands (; ) are an archipelago in the Extreme North of Russia, to the north of the East Siberian coast between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea north of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, of whose Bulunsky District they ar ...

. Later in the 19th century,

Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (; 18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the noble Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friherre (ba ...

during the ''Vega'' expedition sailed very close to this land in 1878 but did not notice it. In 1882, the Danish

Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

and naval officer

Andreas Peter Hovgaard Commander Andreas Peter Hovgaard (1 November 1853 – 15 March 1910) was a Royal Danish Navy officer and explorer. Hovgaard became a sub-lieutenant of the Danish Navy in 1874, rising to the rank of Lieutenant (navy), lieutenant in 1876, Captai ...

, leader of the Arctic survey ''Dijmphna'' expedition, set himself the goal of discovering land north of

Cape Chelyuskin Cape Chelyuskin (, ''Mys Chelyuskina'') is the northernmost point of the Eurasian continent (and indeed of any continental mainland), and the northernmost point of mainland Russia. It is situated at the tip of the Taymyr Peninsula, south of Sever ...

and exploring the unknown northeastern limits of the

. However, Hovgaard was prevented from accomplishing his objectives after having become trapped in thick ice, and his expedition was unable to reach even the shores of the

. Even at the end of the 19th century, both Nansen's ''Fram'' expedition of 1895 and

Eduard Toll Eduard Gustav Freiherr von Toll (; 1902), better known in Russia as Eduard Vasilyevich Toll and often referred to as Baron von Toll, was a Russian geologist and Arctic explorer. He is most notable for leading the Russian polar expedition of 1 ...

Russian polar expedition of 1900–02 Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

on the ship ''Zarya'' failed to note any traces of land to the north of the strait between the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea that they navigated. File:Dijmphna Karasee.png , Map of the Kara Sea drift of steamship '' Dijmphna'' in 1882–83. This venture would have discovered the land now known as Severnaya Zemlya had it been successful. File:Yenisey gub - section.jpg, 1902 map section of the

Yeniseysk Governorate Yeniseysk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, and the Russian SFSR in 1822–1925. General information In 1724 the Yeniseysk Province based on Yeniseysk was esta ...

with empty ocean in the location of the archipelago

Emperor Nicholas II Land

The archipelago first appeared on the map with the 1913–1915 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition of the

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s ''Taimyr'' and ''Vaigach''. The chief organiser and first captain of the ''Vaygach'' was officer Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak of the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

. The expedition, privately financed, was launched in 1910 and led by

Boris Vilkitsky Boris Andreyevich Vilkitsky () (22 March (3 April N.S.) 1885, Pulkovo – 6 March 1961) was a Russian hydrographer and surveyor. He was the son of Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky. Career Born in Pulkovo, Tsarskoselsky Uyezd (now part of Saint ...

on behalf of the

Russian Hydrographic Service The Russian Hydrographic Service, full current official name Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, is Russia's hydrographic office, with responsibility to facilitate navigation, performing ...

. This venture accomplished its goal of exploring the uncharted areas of the continental side of the

Northern Sea Route The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (, shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route about long. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region. Ad ...

. On 3 September 1913 (22 August 1913 in the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

used by Russia at the time), members of Vilkitsky's expedition landed on what is now known as

Cape Berg Cape Berg (, ''Mys Berga'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. This cape was named after prominent Soviet geographer and biologist Lev Berg (1876 – 1950). Geography Stretching out towards the Laptev Sea east of the Rusanov Glacier, ...

on present-day

October Revolution Island October Revolution Island (Russian: остров Октябрьской Революции, ''ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii'') is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in Russia in the Arctic. It is named after the October Revolut ...

. They raised the Russian flag on the shore and named the new territory Tayvay Land (, ''Zemlya Tayvay''), after the first syllable of each of their icebreakers' names. During the days that followed, Vilkitsky's expedition charted parts of the Laptev Sea coast of what they believed to be a single island. Barely six months later, in early 1914, by order of the Secretary of the Imperial Navy, the new discovery was renamed ''Emperor Nicholas II Land'' (, ''Zemlya Imperatora Nikolaya II''), after the ruling

Emperor Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...

of Russia. File:Emperor Nicholas II Land 1913-map-arctic.png, Section of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition map showing incompletely charted Emperor Nicholas II Land —with an undefined western coast. The Russian flag stands on the

area. File:Emperor Nicholas II Land Russian Empire Map.jpg , Partly surveyed Emperor Nicholas II Land in a 1915 map of the Russian Empire. At the time it was believed that the archipelago formed a single landmass. File:Stamps of Russia 2013 No 1732-1734 Severnaya Zemlya.jpg, Russian 2013 stamp set featuring Boris Vilkitsky, his ships and the landscape of the area - dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Severnaya Zemlya.

Later exploration and present era

In 1926, the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

of the

Central Executive Committee of the USSR The Central Executive Committee of the USSR (), which may be abbreviated as the CEC (), was the supreme governing body of the USSR in between sessions of the All-Union Congress of Soviets from 1922 to 1938. The Central Executive Committee elec ...

renamed the still not fully-explored land ''Severnaya Zemlya''. In May 1928,

Umberto Nobile Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the Aviation between the World Wars, years between the two Worl ...

and his crew in the Airship ''Italia'' attempted to overfly the islands, but adverse weather conditions forced them to turn southward when only an hour or two from viewing the archipelago's coastline. In the spring of 1931,

Georgy Ushakov Georgy Alexeyevich Ushakov () (17 (30) January 1901 – 3 December 1963) was a Soviet explorer of the Arctic. Ushakov broke new ground when he surveyed and explored Severnaya Zemlya, together with four other Arctic explorers, establishing that it ...

, accompanied by the geologist

Nikolay Urvantsev Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev (; – 20 February 1985) was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov in the Lukoyanovsky Uyezd of the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire to the family of a merchant. He ...

, the veteran surveyor Sergei Zhuravlev, and the radio-operator Vasily Khodov, thoroughly surveyed Severnaya Zemlya during a two-year expedition to the archipelago. Ushakov and his team established a small base at Golomyanny – the western end of Sredniy Island, off October Revolution Island's western coast. From there they made multiple surveying-trips into the interior and to the coastlines of the larger islands. The first detailed map drawn by the expedition's cartographers showed Severnaya Zemlya divided into four main islands. Geographic features of the territory were named after

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

organisations, events, and personalities. With reference to Severnaya Zemlya Ushakov wrote: The ''Graf Zeppelin'' flew over the area during its polar flight of July 1931 and recorded some cartographic and meteorological data;

Hugo Eckener Hugo Eckener (; 10 August 1868 – 14 August 1954) SchwensenThomas Adam. p. 289 ostsee.de was the manager of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and also the commander of the famous ''Graf Zeppelin'' for most of its record-setting ...

tried to take pictures of the yet unsurveyed western coast, but it was obscured by fog and clouds.William J. Mills, ''Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia,'' Volume 1, p. 204. Although

German communists German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

had endured suffering under the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, due to

anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is fear or dislike of Germany, its Germans, people, and its Culture of Germany, culture. Its opposite is Germanophile, Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment main ...

caused by the 1941–1945

German-Soviet War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

some features of Severnaya Zemlya that had been previously named in solidarity with German Communism were given Russian or neutral-sounding names, e.g. Cape Unslicht becoming '' Mys Peschanyy'' and '' Proliv Yungshturm'' becoming

Yuny Strait Yuny Strait () is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. It is covered with ice most of the year. History Initially named ''Proliv Yungshturm'' () after the Roter Jungsturm of the German Communist Youth, following the Great Patriotic War, its nam ...

. During the period of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

(1940s to 1980s), the islands of Severnaya Zemlya continued to be studied by a team of geologists from NIIGA (the Scientific Research Institute of Arctic Geology) in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, (then known as Leningrad). Between 1948 and 1954 a comprehensive geological map was compiled under B. Kh. Egiazarov.GEO_099_121.pdf
(PDF) . Retrieved on 19 October 2010. Also more accurate maps were drawn by means of cartographic data gathered from aerial-photography surveys. Administratively, Severnaya Zemlya formed part of the

Taymyr Autonomous Okrug Taymyr Dolgano-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (, '; Enets language, Enets: Таймыр Оша-Дюрак район, Nenets languages, Nenets: Таймыр Долганы-Ненэцие район) was a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of R ...

until this

okrug An okrug is a type of administrative division in some Slavic-speaking states. The word ''okrug'' is a loanword in English, alternatively translated as area, district, county, or region. Etymologically, ''okrug'' literally means ' circuit', der ...

was merged into

on 1 January 2007. it belongs to the

Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District () is an administrativeLaw #10-4765 and municipalLaw #2-54 district (raion), one of the forty-three in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is located in the north of the krai above the Arctic Circle on the Taymyr P ...

of Krasnoyarsk Krai. There has been a request at the Krasnoyarsk Krai Legislative Assembly to reinstate the former name of Severnaya Zemlya as "Emperor Nicholas II Land" (). This request, however, has been rejected by the local government for the time being. File:Polarstation Izluchina 2014-08-31.jpg , View of the remains of abandoned Izluchina Russian polar station at the northern end of

Komsomolets Island Komsomolets Island in Severnaya Zemlya Komsomolets Island () is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth. About 65% of the is ...

File:Operational Navigation Chart B-3, 2nd edition.jpg , 1975 map showing Severnaya Zemlya and the

File:SevernayaZemlya.jpg ,

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scient ...

MODIS The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a satellite-based sensor used for earth and climate measurements. There are two MODIS sensors in Earth orbit: one on board the Terra (EOS AM) satellite, launched by NASA in 19 ...

image of Severnaya Zemlya in 2001

Geography

Severnaya Zemlya comprises four major islands – October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer – and around 70 smaller islands, covering a total area of about . It is separated from the

by the

. Komsomolets is separated from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's northernmost point,

Cape Columbia Cape Columbia is the northernmost point of land of Canada, located on Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. It marks the westernmost coastal point of Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's northernmost point of l ...

, by under 2000 km. Four of the main islands are largely glaciated, October Revolution, Komsomolets, and Pioneer, as well as the smaller

Schmidt Island Schmidt Island () is one of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic. It was named after Soviet scientist and first head of the Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route, Otto Schmidt. Located at the far northwestern end ...

at the northwestern limit. The glacierised area on Bolshevik, the southernmost main island of the group, covers about a quarter of its land's surface. The southmost point of Severnaya Zemlya is Cape Neupokoyev at the SW end of Bolshevik Island. The highest point of the archipelago is Mount Karpinsky, the summit of the Karpinsky Glacier, an

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. T ...

on October Revolution Island. The

Red Army Strait Red Army Strait (, ''Proliv Krasnoy Army'') is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. It is named after the Red Army (Krasnaya Armiya). Geography The Red Army Strait is wide. It separates Komsomolets Island in the north from October Revolution Is ...

separates Komsomolets Island from October Revolution Island and the broader

Shokalsky Strait Shokalsky Strait () is a strait in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. Geography The Shokalsky Strait is an up to a 50 km-wide strait that separates Bolshevik Island from October Revolution Island, connecting the Kara Sea in the west with the Laptev ...

Bolshevik Island from October Revolution Island. Both straits connect the Kara Sea in the west with the Laptev Sea in the east. This archipelago encloses the northern limits of the

on its western shores, together with

Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; , ; ), also spelled , is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, considered the extreme points of Europe ...

, located roughly to the southwest. The large rivers Ob and

Yenisei The Yenisey or Yenisei ( ; , ) is the fifth-longest river system in the world, and the largest to drain into the Arctic Ocean. Rising in Mungaragiyn-gol in Mongolia, it follows a northerly course through Lake Baikal and the Krasnoyarsk Dam b ...

, among others, flow from the south into this marginal sea area of the Arctic Ocean, with their abundant waters contributing to a climate with relatively high precipitation despite the prevalent extreme cold temperatures of the high latitude. The

, where the mighty

Lena River The Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into the Arctic Ocean, the others being Ob (river), Ob and Yenisey. The Lena River is long and has a capacious drainage basi ...

steadily expands its large delta, lies to the east of Severnaya Zemlya. The

topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

of the archipelago is quite smooth, with

Neoproterozoic The Neoproterozoic Era is the last of the three geologic eras of the Proterozoic geologic eon, eon, spanning from 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago, and is the last era of the Precambrian "supereon". It is preceded by the Mesoproterozoic era an ...

and

Palaeozoic The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma at the start of ...

sedimentary successions dominating its

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

geology.

Glaciers

Glaciers in the archipelago have a characteristic dome shape with a continuously decreasing surface towards their edges. Ice cliffs are found only at the base. The places where the glaciers reach the sea contribute to the formation of icebergs. The most active glacier fronts are the eastern side of the Academy of Sciences Glacier at

Krenkel Bay Krenkel Bay () is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth History This bay was discovered by the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev. Decades later, in 1973, this bay was n ...

as well as its southern side. Another quite active glacier is the

Rusanov Glacier Rusanov () is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Rusanova. It may refer to: * Anatoly Rusanov (born 1932), Russian chemist * Dmitri Rusanov (born 1987), Russian football player * Irina Rusanova * Lyubov Rusanova (born 1954), R ...

on the island of October Revolution with its

terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

Matusevich Fjord Matusevich Fjord (, ''Fiord Matusevicha''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This fjord is blocked by heavy ice the whole year round. Its iceberg-producing activity is unmatched by other fjords of Severnaya Zem ...

. October Revolution, with seven

s, is the island with most individual glaciers in Severnaya Zemlya. Next are the islands of Bolshevik with six, Komsomolets with four, Pioneer with two and Schmidt Island with one. The largest glacier is the

in Komsomolets, which is also the largest ice cap of Russia —a and thick ice dome reaching

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

covering about two-thirds of the surface of the island.

Main islands

October Revolution

(, ''Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii'') is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian

. The area of this island has been estimated at making it the 59th largest island in the world. It rises to a height of on Mount Karpinsky. Half the island is covered with

s reaching down into the sea. In the sections free from ice, the vegetation is

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

. The island was first explored and named by the expedition of G.A. Ushakov and Nikolay N. Urvantsev in 1930–32. October Revolution Island houses five domed ice caps; clockwise from north, they are named: Rusanov, Karpinsky,

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, Vavilov and Albanov. The Vavilov Meteorological Station was operated from 1974 to 1988 on the northern part of the Vavilov Ice Cap. Other minor ice caps on the island include the Mal'yutka Glacier. The Podemnaya River and the Bolshaya River drain to the northwest between the Vavilov and Albanov glaciers, and the Bedovaya and Obryvistaya Rivers drain to the north between Albanov and Rusanov. The largest lake of the island and the entire archipelago, Fiordovoye, is located on the southwestern edge of the Karpinsky glacier. To the east and south of the island are the large

and the smaller

Marat Fjord Marat Fjord (, ''Fiord Marata''), is a fjord in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth It is blocked by ice most of the year. History Although the shore of the island further north had been visited by Boris Vilkitsky's Arctic O ...

. They, together with the lake, encircle the Karpinsky ice cap.

Cape October Cape October (; ''Mys Oktyabr’skiy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. History The cape was named during the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev after the month of the 1917 Russian Re ...

is located in the northern part of the island facing the Red Army Strait. ''Ostrov Vysokiy'' is an islet located in a small bay on October Revolution Island's southwest shores.

Bolshevik

Bolshevik Island __NOTOC__ Bolshevik Island (, ) is an island in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Arctic. The island is named after the political faction of the Soviet Union. History The island, together with the eastern coast of what was named Emp ...

(, ) is the southernmost and second largest island in the group, located across the Shokalsky Strait from October Revolution Island. The area of this island has been estimated at . Bolshevik Island is mountainous, reaching a height of . It houses an

Arctic base Research stations are facilities where scientific investigation, Data collection, collection, analysis and experimentation occurs. A research station is a facility that is built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. There are also man ...

named ''Prima'' near

. Parts of the shore of the island are deeply indented, with Mikoyan Bay in the north and

Solnechny Bay Solnechny Bay (, ''Bukhta Solnechnaya''), is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth History There is an abandoned polar station on the eastern side of Solnechny Bay, near Cape Antsev, as well as an astronomic observatory 4 ...

in the south, as well as

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

s such as the large Akhmatov Fjord, and the smaller Thaelmann Fjord, Spartak Fjord and

Partizan Fjord Partizan may refer to: Sport *JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics **Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association foot ...

. Bolshevik Island is comparatively less glaciated than the other islands of Severnaya Zemlya. Only about 30% of the island is covered by

s while the coastal plains have a sparse vegetation of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

and

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

. The Leningrad Glacier, Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky Glacier, Kropotkin Glacier, Mushketov Glacier and Aerosyomki Glacier are located in the interior of the island and do not reach the sea.. Oceandots.com. Retrieved on 19 October 2010. ''Ostrov Tash'' is a small island located on Bolshevik's southern shore. ''Lavrov Island'' is located off the NE shore and ''Ostrov Lishniy'' off its northern tip.

Komsomolets

() is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian

, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth. The northernmost point of the island is called the

Arctic Cape The Arctic Cape (, ''Mys Arkticheskiy'') is a headland in Severnaya Zemlya, Russia. With a distance of 990.8 km to the North Pole, the Arctic Cape is sometimes used as starting point for expeditions to the North Pole. Geography Stretching ...

. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions. The area of this island has been estimated at . It rises to a height of . Some 65% of the island is covered with glaciers. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap, which covers most of the island between

in the east and

Zhuravlev Bay Zhuravlev Bay (, ''Zaliv Zhuravleva'') is a bay in Severnaya Zemlya, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.GoogleEarth This bay is blocked by ice most of the year. History This bay was named by the 1930–1932 expedition to the archipelago led by Georgy Ushak ...

in the west. The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

and

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens. The island was first explored and named by the expedition of

and

in 1930–32. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, this island was named in honour of the members of the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

, the "Communist Union of Youth". Off the northwestern shores of Komsomolets Island lies a group of islets known as ''Ostrova Dem'yana Bednogo''.

Pioneer Island

Pioneer Island, Ostrov Pioner in Russian. It is the westernmost of the large islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group and is separated from Komsomolets Island by the

. Pioneer island measures in area. This island houses the Pioneer Glacier.

Thelodonti Thelodonti (from Greek: "nipple teeth")Maisey, John G., Craig Chesek, and David Miller. Discovering fossil fishes. New York: Holt, 1996. is a class of extinct Palaeozoic jawless fishes with distinctive scales instead of large plates of armor. T ...

fossils from the

Upper Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

have been found in the island. Off Pioneer Island's southwestern end lies Krupskoy Island. This is a fairly large island, over in length and about in width. The sound that separates it from Pioneer is only in width. This island should not be confused with Pioneer Island in Canada ().

Schmidt Island

, measuring , is located at the far northwestern end of the archipelago. This island is quite detached from the whole Severnaya Zemlya group. It is also its northernmost island and before modern climate warming it was fully in the region of permanent sea ice. This island is almost entirely covered by the Schmidt Ice Cap. Owing to its exposed position, the climate in the Schmidt Island's area is much colder than in the rest of the archipelago. Schmidt Island was named after the Soviet scientist

Otto Schmidt Otto Yulyevich Shmidt (born Otto Friedrich Julius Schmidt; – 7 September 1956), better known as Otto Schmidt, was a Soviet scientist, mathematician, astronomer, geophysicist, statesman, and academician. Biography He was born in the town of ...

Minor islands and island groups

Close to the main archipelago of Severnaya Zemlya there are a number of smaller islands and archipelagos. There are also many small coastal islands and islets in different locations, such as Krupskoy to the west of Pioneer and Naydenysh () near Cape Anuchin in October Revolution Island. Among the other minor islands the following deserve mention:

Sedov Archipelago

The Sedov Archipelago, formerly known as

Sergey Kamenev Sergey Sergeyevich Kamenev (; April 16 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. April 4 1881 – August 25, 1936) was a Soviet Union">Soviet military leader who reached Komandarm 1st rank. Kamene ...

Islands, is located just west of October Revolution Island on the Kara Sea side. The main islands of this archipelago are ''Sredny'' (the longest island), ''Domashnyy'', ''Strela'', and ''Figurnyy''. Close to the shore of October Revolution Island lies ''Obmannyy Island'' and further offshore southwards lies ''Dlinnyy Island''. These other coastal islands are sometimes included as part of the Sedov Group. ''Golomyanniy Meteorological Station'', located on the western tip of Sredniy Island at , was the wintering site and base of the 1931–32 expedition and has been taking continuous measurements since 1954. An official request has been forwarded to rename Domashnyy Island as ''Svyatoy Anastasii'' (), St. Anastasia Island.

Krasnoflotskiye Islands

Located just south of October Revolution Island in the Kara Sea. The Krasnoflotskiye Islands () extend from north to south in an almost straight line . The main islands are ''Sverdlova'' – very close to Cape Sverdlov on the coast, ''Bolshoy'' – not much larger than the others despite its name, ''Sredniy'' and ''Greben'' far offshore. All islands are devoid of vegetation. Two small islets named ''Opasnye'', which are also part of this group, lie to the southwest of Greben Island. The Krasnoflotskiye Islands were first sighted and mapped in August 1932 by the expedition of the All-Union Arctic Institute on the

''Rusanov''. There is an Arctic Station in the Krasnoflotskiye Islands (AS-042), which has been operating since 1953.

Maly Taymyr and Starokadomsky

This is a small group including two main islands located in the Laptev Sea, off the far southeastern end of Bolshevik Island. Maly Taymyr, the largest island, has a land surface of and is at . Maly Taymyr was discovered by

during the

Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition The Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition (GESLO) (1910–1915) was a scientific expedition organized by Russia for the purpose of the development of the Northern Sea Route. This expedition accomplished its goal of exploring the uncharted areas ...

in 1913 and was named "Tsarevich Alexei Island" (), after the son of Zar

Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

of Russia. Following the 1917

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

the island was renamed "Maly Taymyr". In 2005 an official request was forwarded to the local government in Krasnoyarsk Krai in order to reinstate its former name to the island as ''Alexei Island''. '' Starokadomsky Island'' is close by to Maly Taymyr, located off its northwestern side and separated from it by a narrow sound. This island was named after Dr. Leonid Starokadomsky, one of the leaders of the 1913 Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition.

Lishniy Island

Lishniy Island () is a coastal island located on the eastern side of the mouth of Akhmatov Fjord, southeast of Cape Unslicht, off Bolshevik Island's northern end at . The island has an irregular shape and is long with a maximum width of . A deep round lake with a diameter of is located in the western part of the island and is connected to the sea by a small channel. Almost all the island is rocky, except for the northwestern part. The highest point of Lishniy Island is South of Lishniy lies ''Yuzhnyy'', a smaller island, and two islets. Lishniy off Severnaya Zemlya should not be confused with Lishny Island off

Toll Bay Toll Bay, () is a bay in the Kara Sea, Russia. Administratively, Toll Bay and its adjacent area belong to the Krasnoyarsk Krai administrative division of the Russian Federation. Geography Toll Bay is located in the western shores of the Taymyr P ...

, south of the

Firnley Islands The Firnley Islands (; ''Ostrova Firnleya'', ) is a group of three small islands covered with tundra vegetation and with scattered stones on their shores. They lie in the Kara Sea, close to the bleak coast of Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula, not far e ...

Climate

Severnaya Zemlya is consistently cold and quite dry (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''ET'' bordering on ''EF''), with a mean annual temperature of , mean annual precipitation of about , and generally overcast skies. Monthly average temperature ranges from in February to in July. The archipelago sees large temperature fluctuations during winter months, as low-pressure cyclonic activity originating in the North Atlantic make their way across the Arctic, bringing precipitation and higher temperatures. These cyclones are most common in September and October, which see 30% of annual precipitation. Snowfall in summer is common as temperatures hover around , although higher temperatures occur when warm air masses move north from Siberia.

Flora and fauna

Severnaya Zemlya is a

polar desert Polar deserts are the regions of Earth that fall under an ice cap climate (''EF'' under the Köppen classification). Despite rainfall totals low enough to normally classify as a desert, polar deserts are distinguished from true deserts (' or ' un ...

with sparse vegetation and

permafrost Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below ...

at less than . Rare

vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified tissue ( ...

include species of ''

Cerastium ''Cerastium'' is a genus of annual, winter annual, or perennial flowering plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. They are commonly called mouse-ears or mouse-ear chickweeds. There are 214 accepted species, found nearly worldwide but wi ...

'' and ''

Saxifraga ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 473 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...

''. Non-vascular plants include the

genera '' Detrichum'', ''

Dicranum ''Dicranum'' is a genus of mosses, also called wind-blown mosses or fork mosses. These mosses form in densely packed clumps. In general, upright stems will be single but packed together. ''Dicranum'' is distributed globally. In North America th ...

'', ''

Pogonatum ''Pogonatum'' is a genus of mosses — commonly called spike moss — which contains approximately 70 species that cover a cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extend ...

'', '' Sanionia'', ''

Bryum ''Bryum'' is a genus of mosses in the family Bryaceae. It was considered the largest genus of mosses, in terms of the number of species (over 1000), until it was split into three separate genera in a 2005 publication. As of 2013, the classificat ...

'', '' Orthothecium'' and ''

Tortula ''Tortula'' is a genus of mosses in the family Pottiaceae. Species There are different classifications for the species included in the genus. The delimitation of genus Tortula is problematic and was subject to a number of alterations in the pa ...

'', as well as the

genera ''

Cetraria ''Cetraria'' is a genus of fruticose lichens that associate with green algae as photobionts. Most species are found at high latitudes, occurring on sand or heath, and are characterised by their "strap-like" form with spiny edges. The lobes can ...

'', '' Thamnolia'', '' Cornicularia'', ''

Lecidea ''Lecidea'' is a genus of crustose lichen, crustose lichens with a carbon-black ring or outer margin (exciple) around the fruiting body disc (apothecium), usually (or always) found growing on (Saxicolous lichen, saxicolous) or in (Endolithic lich ...

'', ''

Ochrolechia ''Ochrolechia'' is the sole genus in the fungus, fungal family Ochrolechiaceae. It comprises about 40 species of crustose lichens. These lichens typically form uneven, often thick, crust-like growths on various surfaces and are characterised by t ...

'' and '' Parmelia''. Common flowering plants of the high

such as the

purple saxifrage ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky ...

(''Saxifraga oppositifolia'') and the Arctic poppy (''Papaver radicatum'') also occur on Severnaya Zemlya. According to a survey of prior observations by De Korte, Volkov, and Gavrilo, thirty-two bird species have been observed on Severnaya Zemlya, 17 of which are known to breed on the islands. Eight species are widespread across the archipelago: five of which are colonial seabirds:

little auk The little auk (Europe) or dovekie (North America) ''Alle alle'' is a small auk, the only member of the genus ''Alle''. ''Alle'' is the Sami name of the long-tailed duck; it is onomatopoeic and imitates the call of the drake duck. Linnaeus was n ...

(''Alle alle''), black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla''),

black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...

(''Cepphus grylle''), ivory gull (''Pagophila eburnea''), and

glaucous gull The glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus'') is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. The genus name is from Latin , which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name is Latin for "northern" from the A ...

(''Larus hyperboreus''); and three species of tundra bird: the

snow bunting The snow bunting (''Plectrophenax nivalis'') is a passerine bird in the family Calcariidae. It is an Arctic specialist, with a circumpolar Arctic breeding range throughout the northern hemisphere. There are small isolated populations on a few ...

(''Plectrophenax nivalis''),

purple sandpiper The purple sandpiper (''Calidris maritima'') is a small shorebird in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. This is a hardy sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America and winters further south on the Atlan ...

(''Calidris maritima''), and

brent goose The brant or brent goose (''Branta bernicla'') is a small goose of the genus ''Branta''. There are three subspecies, all of which winter along temperate-zone sea-coasts and breed on the high-Arctic tundra. The Brent oilfield was named after ...

(''Branta bernicla'').Bird Observations in Severnaya Zemlya, Siberia
. (PDF). Retrieved on 19 October 2010. The most common mammal on Severnaya Zemlya is the

collared lemming ''Dicrostonyx'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the collared lemmings or varying lemmings. They are the only North American rodents that turn completely white in winter. It contains the following species A species ...

(''Dicrostonyx torquatus''), also known as Arctic lemming, which is present on all of the large islands and, in some places has been recorded to reach a density of 500 per km² (1,300 per sq mi). The

Arctic fox The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...

(''Alopex lagopus'') has been known to den on the islands, with several hundred observed in the 1980s. Other mammals occasionally observed include the

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

(''Canis lupus''), the

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...

(''Ursus maritimus''),

ermine Ermine may refer to three species of mustelid in the genus '' Mustela'', or their fur: * Stoat or Eurasian ermine, ''Mustela erminea'', found throughout Eurasia and northern North America * American ermine, ''Mustela richardsonii'', found throu ...

(''Mustela erminea''),

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...

(''Odobenus rosmarus''),

Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a ...

(''Lepus timidus''), and

reindeer The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...

(''Rangifer tarandus''). File:Saxifraga oppositifolia in Czechia.jpg,

Purple saxifrage ''Saxifraga oppositifolia'', the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky ...

. File:AlleAlle 2.jpg, Severnaya Zemlya is the easternmost point in the

's breeding range. File:Uria Lomvia 1 3.jpg,

Thick-billed murre The thick-billed murre or Brünnich's guillemot (''Uria lomvia'') is a bird in the auk family (Alcidae). This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich. The very deeply black North Pacific subspecies ''Uria lomvia arra'' i ...

(''Uria lomvia''). File:Dicrostonyx torquatus.jpg,

Collared lemming ''Dicrostonyx'' is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It contains the collared lemmings or varying lemmings. They are the only North American rodents that turn completely white in winter. It contains the following species A species ...

(''Dicrostonyx torquatus''), the most common mammal on Severnaya Zemlya.

In culture

The discovery of Severnaya Zemlya is the subject of

Veniamin Kaverin Veniamin Aleksandrovich Kaverin (; Вениами́н А́белевич Зи́льбер (Veniamin Abelevich Zilber); – May 2, 1989) was a Soviet and Russian writer, dramatist and screenwriter associated with the early 1920s movement of th ...

's novel ''

The Two Captains ''The Two Captains'' () is a novel written by Soviet author Veniamin Kaverin between 1937 and 1946. It is Kaverin's best known work and is considered one of the most popular works of Soviet literature, winning the USSR State Prize in 1946 and b ...

'' as well as its stage adaptation, ''

Nord-Ost ''Nord-Ost'' (, means "North-East" in German) is a Russian musical theatre production that was composed by Aleksei Ivaschenko and Georgii Vasilyev, based on the novel '' The Two Captains'' by Veniamin Kaverin. It is a fictional story based arou ...

''. The location of a secret Russian space weapons control facility is called Severnaya in the 1995

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

.'' In several maps seen onscreen, however, this Severnaya is depicted as being in central

. Severnaya is a level in ''GoldenEye 007'', a 1997 video game based on the Bond film. Severnaya is the site of a Kaiju-controlled rogue Jaeger (giant

mech In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is more inclusive ...

) in the 2018 film ''

Pacific Rim Uprising ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' is a 2018 American science fiction monster film directed by Steven S. DeKnight and written by DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder and T. S. Nowlin. It is the second installment in the ''Pacific Rim'' franchise ...

''. Severnaya is the site of the final act of the 2021 movie ''

The Tomorrow War ''The Tomorrow War'' is a 2021 American military science-fiction action film directed by Chris McKay, written by Zach Dean, and starring Chris Pratt. It was produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, David S. Goyer, Jules Daly, a ...

'', where the protagonists locate a crashed spaceship holding the dormant White Spike Aliens.

References

External links

* *
Arctic photos of Severnaya Zemlya
by Ólafur Ingólfsson * List of islands (Russian language)
Glacial and Environmental History of Severnaya Zemlya, Siberian High Arctic, During the Last > 130,000 years
{{Authority control Archipelagoes of the Kara Sea Archipelagoes of the Laptev Sea Islands of Siberia Archipelagoes of Krasnoyarsk Krai Uninhabited islands of Russia