Zavyalov Island (, or ''Ostrov Zav’yalova''), formerly Ola Island (''Остров Ольский''), is a relatively large island in the

Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...

, northwestern Pacific. It is located on the eastern side of Taui Bay, west of Cape Taran, Koni Peninsula, about south of the city of

Magadan Magadan ( rus, Магадан, p=məɡɐˈdan) is a Port of Magadan, port types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative centre of Magadan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the isthmus of the Staritsky Peninsula by the ...

. Zavyalov is a mountainous island; it is long and wide. The Siberian dwarf pine ''(

Pinus pumila ''Pinus pumila'', commonly known as the Siberian dwarf pine, dwarf Siberian pine, dwarf stone pine, Japanese stone pine, or creeping pine, is a tree in the family Pinaceae native to northeastern Asia and the Japanese isles. It shares the commo ...

)'' and the dwarf birch '' Betula middendorffii'' grow on the island. Its shores are a breeding ground for the

Steller sea lion The Steller sea lion (''Eumetopias jubatus''), also known as Steller's sea lion or the northern sea lion, is a large, near-threatened species of sea lion, predominantly found in the coastal marine habitats of the northeast Pacific Ocean and th ...

. Administratively Zavyalov Island belongs to the

Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Russian Far East, Far East region of the country, and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. Magadan ...

of the

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 ...

n Federation.

History

Zavyalov Island was frequented by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

whaleship A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

s cruising for

bowhead whale The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus''), sometimes called the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus '' Balaena' ...

s between 1849 and 1885. They called it Bowhead Island.

Whaleboat A whaleboat is a type of open boat that was used for catching whales, or a boat of similar design that retained the name when used for a different purpose. Some whaleboats were used from whaling ships. Other whaleboats would operate from the s ...

s spent the night camping on the island to search for whales the following morning. They also obtained wood from the island and caught fish offshore.''Betsey Williams'', of Stonington, Aug. 29, 1853, NWC; ''Isabella'', of New Bedford, Sep. 4-5, 1854, NWC.

References

Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk

External links

Islands of the Sea of Okhotsk Islands of the Russian Far East Islands of Magadan Oblast {{MagadanOblast-geo-stub