The Dunay Islands, or Duunay Aryta, (Russian: Острова Дунай) is a group of islands in the Laptev Sea. They are located close to the mouths of the Lena River, off the northwestern shores of the Lena Delta.[1]

Dunay Islands
The Dunay group and adjacent islands
Geography
LocationLaptev Sea
Coordinates73°51′N 124°31′E / 73.850°N 124.517°E / 73.850; 124.517
ArchipelagoDunay Islands
Total islands15
Administration
Russia
RepublicSakha

Geography

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The Dunay islands form a compact cluster; their shores are very irregular with narrow beach ridges, sand bars and swales. The maximum length of the main island is 16 km and its maximum breadth 8 km. The island in the SE is named "Ostrov Yegorsha".[2]

The strait between these islands and the Lena Delta shore is known as Proliv Dzhiyelligestyakh-Oburuosa.

The area where these islands lie is subject to severe Arctic weather. Although there are some offshore polynyas towards the north, there is fast ice between the Dunay Islands and the Lena Delta for about nine months every year.[3]

There is a meteorological station in the islands called Dunay. It had some importance during the golden years of the Northern Sea Route.[4] Administratively these islands belong to the Sakha Republic of the Russian Federation

Adjacent islands

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References

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  1. ^ Encarta Encyclopedia.
  2. ^ Geographical data
  3. ^ "Polynyas and frozen surface in the Laptev Sea during the winter" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  4. ^ William Barr, The First Soviet Convoy to the Mouth of the Lena.
  5. ^ Ostrova Bulgunnyakhtakh-belkey