Bolshevik Island

Bolshevik
Native name: о́стров Большеви́к
Bolshevik Island.svg
Bolshevik Island, Russia
Bolshevik Island is located in Russia
Bolshevik Island (Russia)
Geography
Location Arctic
Coordinates 78°37′48″N 102°28′50″E / 78.630006°N 102.480469°E / 78.630006; 102.480469Coordinates: 78°37′48″N 102°28′50″E / 78.630006°N 102.480469°E / 78.630006; 102.480469
Archipelago Severnaya Zemlya
Area 11,270 km2 (4,351 sq mi)[1]
Area rank 66th[1]
Highest elevation 935 m (3,068 ft)
Highest point unnamed
Country
Russia
Bolshevik Island image (Landsat-7 1999-07-29)

Bolshevik Island (Russian: о́стров Большеви́к, pronounced [ˈostrəf bəlʲʂɨˈvʲik]) is the southernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the second largest island in the group. The island was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913, but its insularity wasn’t proven until 1931, when Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev charted the archipelago during their 1930–32 expedition.[2]

The area of this island has been estimated at 11,270 km².[1] The island is mountainous reaching a height of 935 m, and it houses an arctic base named Prima. About 30% of the island is covered by glaciers, while the coastal plains have a sparse vegetation of moss and lichen. Its northwestern shore has some fjords; the most important are: Fiord Tel'mana, Fiord Spartak and Fiord Partizan.

Bolshevik Island houses at least three glacier systems: Leningrad and Semenov-Tyan Shansky glaciers, as well as a smaller glacier, Kropotkin.[3]

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.

There has been a request to rename Bolshevik island Svyataya Olga (St. Olga).[4]

Weather conditions

The weather on the island is extremely cold; the annual average temperature is −16 °C.[3]

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References

  1. ^ a b c McCoy, John F. (ed.) (2002) Geo-Data: The World Geographical Encyclopedia Thomson-Gale
  2. ^ Barr, William (1975). "Severnaya Zemlya: the last major discovery". Geographical Journal 141 (1): 59–71. JSTOR 1796946. 
  3. ^ a b "Severnaya Zemlya" at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2010) (translated as "North Land). Oceandots.com. Accessed May 2011
  4. ^ Search – Krasnoyarsk Territory – Rosnedvizhimost
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Last modified on 21 February 2013, at 17:04