Big land on the map. Archipelago new land

It is included in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia as the administrative district of Novaya Zemlya and, within the framework of local government, in the status of the urban district of Novaya Zemlya.

Geography and climate

The archipelago consists of two big islands- Northern and Southern, separated by a narrow strait (2-3 km) Matochkin Shar and many relatively small islands, the largest of which is Mezhdusharsky. Northeast tip North Island- Cape Flissingsky - is the easternmost point of Europe.

The archipelago stretches from southwest to northeast for 925 km. The northernmost point of Novaya Zemlya is the eastern island of the Greater Orange Islands, the southernmost is the Pynin Islands of the Petukhovsky archipelago, the western is the nameless cape on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula of Yuzhny Island, the eastern is Cape Flissingsky of the Severny Island. The area of ​​all islands is more than 83 thousand km²; The width of the North Island is up to 123 km, the South Island is up to 143 km.

Occurrences of native copper and cuprous sandstones are known on the South Island.

All known ore fields require additional study, which is difficult natural conditions, insufficient economic development and the special status of the archipelago.

In the waters of the seas washing the archipelago, a number of geological structures have been identified that are promising for the search for oil and gas fields.

Presumably, Novaya Zemlya was discovered in the 12th-13th centuries by Novgorod merchants, but there is no convincing historical and documentary evidence of this. The ancient Scandinavians also failed to prove their primacy in the discovery of the archipelago. In any case, the name of the island is of purely ancient Russian origin.

Of the Western Europeans, the first to visit the archipelago in 1553 was the English navigator Hugh Willoughby, who, by order of King Edward VI (1547-1553), led the expedition of the London “Moscow Company” to “find the North-East Passage” and establish relations with the Russian state.

On the map of the Flemish scientist Gerard Mercator in 1595 New Earth It also looks like a single island or even a peninsula.

During his third expedition, Barents in 1596 rounded the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya and spent the winter on the eastern coast of the North Island in the area of ​​​​Ice Harbor (1597). In 1871 the Norwegian polar expedition Carlsen's boathouse in this place, a preserved Barents hut was discovered, in which dishes, coins, wall clocks, weapons, navigational instruments, as well as a written report on wintering, hidden in a chimney, were found.

The famous Dutch natural scientist Nicolaas Witsen in the book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” (1692) - the first Western Europe scientific work about Siberia and the Russian North - reports that Peter the Great intended to build a military fort on Novaya Zemlya.

The first two were carried out by him at the Malye Karmakuly station on Yuzhny Island, which was then the only Russian settlement on the archipelago. Its elimination could lead to the loss of Russian control over the islands and their capture by the Norwegians.

Arriving on the coast of Mollera Bay on June 19, 1887, K.D. Nosilov settled in the house of the Water Rescue Society station. Together with the priest Father Jonah, sent by the Arkhangelsk diocese, sailors and several Samoyeds, he restored an Orthodox chapel damaged by a hurricane in Malye Karmakuly, which helped attract Russian industrialists from Arkhangelsk to the island. During these winterings, K. D. Nosilov explored the coast of the island itself and crossed it mountain range, local flora and fauna, directions of animal migration, and also studied the language and everyday culture of the Samoyed families resettled there.

The third wintering of K. D. Nosilov in -1891 took place on the shore of the Matochkin Shar Strait, where he founded the first meteorological station in the archipelago.

New Earth. View from space.

Since March 27, 1927, Novaya Zemlya, like other islands of the Arctic Ocean, was governed by a special Regulation of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR. In 1929, they came under the direct authority of the executive committee of the Northern Territory.

After the Nenets were evicted to the mainland, by decision of the executive committee of the Arkhangelsk Regional Council of Working People's Deputies dated July 15, 1957, the Novaya Zemlya Island Council was abolished from August 1, 1957 in accordance with Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR No. 764 of August 27, 1956.

From 1988 to 2014, the Marine Arctic Complex Expedition (MACE) of the Russian Research Institute of Cultural and natural heritage them. D. S. Likhachev under the leadership and scientific guidance of P. V. Boyarsky.

In 2015, hydrographers of the Northern Fleet recorded the formation of seven capes and four straits, and nine islands were discovered in the Russian part of the Arctic.

Population

Flora and fauna

The main role in the formation of phytocenoses belongs to mosses and lichens. The latter are represented by types of cladonia, the height of which does not exceed 3-4 cm.

Arctic herbaceous annuals also play a significant role. Plants characteristic of the sparse flora of the islands are creeping species, such as creeping willow ( Salix polaris), Saxifraga oppositeifolia ( Saxifraga oppositifolia), mountain lichen and others. The vegetation in the southern part is mostly dwarf birches, moss and low grass; in areas near rivers, lakes and bays, many mushrooms grow: milk mushrooms, honey mushrooms, etc.

On the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, according to the combined data of various authors, 6 species of bumblebees have been identified. On the South Island of the archipelago, 6 species of diurnal butterflies were found. The coastal location of the areas can significantly limit the number of species in the local butterfly fauna due to unfavorable natural and climatic conditions. The flight time of club-whiskered lepidoptera is usually very short and occurs during the warmest period, while the timing of flight can shift significantly depending on weather conditions.

Common animals include arctic foxes, lemmings, ptarmigan, and reindeer. Polar bears come to the southern regions with the onset of cold weather, posing a threat to local residents. Marine animals include harp seal, ringed seal, sea hare, walruses, and whales.

Nuclear test site

However, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the test site on Novaya Zemlya, the head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Alexander Rumyantsev, said that Russia intends to continue to develop the test site and maintain it in working condition. At the same time, Russia does not intend to conduct nuclear tests on the archipelago, but intends to carry out non-nuclear experiments to ensure the reliability, combat effectiveness and safety of storage of its nuclear weapons.

Disposal of radioactive waste

In addition to testing nuclear weapons, the territory of Novaya Zemlya (or rather, the water area immediately adjacent to its eastern coast) was used in 1957-1992 for the disposal of liquid and solid radioactive waste (RAW). Basically, these were containers with spent nuclear fuel (and in some cases entire reactor installations) from submarines and surface ships of the Northern Fleet of the USSR and Russian Navy, as well as icebreakers with nuclear power plants.

Such radioactive waste disposal sites are the bays of the archipelago: Sedov Bay, Oga Bay, Tsivolki Bay, Stepovoy Bay, Abrosimov Bay, Blagopoluchiya Bay, Current Bay, as well as a number of points in the Novaya Zemlya Depression stretching along the entire archipelago. As a result of such activity at the bottom Kara Sea and the bays of Novaya Zemlya, many underwater potentially hazardous objects (POHO) formed. Among them: the completely sunk nuclear submarine "K-27" (1981, Stepovoy Bay), reactor compartments and assemblies of a number of other nuclear submarines, the reactor compartment of the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" (1967, Tsivolki Bay).

Since 2002, the areas where the POOO is located have been subject to annual monitoring by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. In 1992-1994, international expeditions were carried out (with the participation of specialists from Norway) to assess the degree of pollution environment Since 2012, the activities of such expeditions have been resumed.

see also

Notes

1. Regional Law of September 23, 2009 N 65-5-OZ “On the administrative-territorial structure of the Arkhangelsk region”
2. Charter of the Arkhangelsk Region
3. Knipovich N. M., Shokalsky Yu. M.// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
4. Labyrinth
5. New Earth. Book 2. Part 1. Generally ed. P.V. Boyarsky. M., 1998.
6. The Unknown Arctic // Novaya Zemlya News, Friday, December 6, 2013. No. 49 (417)
7. Charnock, Richard Stephen. Local Etymology: A Derivative Dictionary of Geographical Names. - London: Houlston and Wright, 1859. - P. 192.
8. Alexandrova V. D., Zubkov A. I. Physico-geographical sketch of Novaya Zemlya.
9. Georges Blon. The great hour of the oceans. Polar seas. - M., 1984. - P. 22.
10. Tsiporukha M. I. Seas of the Russian Arctic
11. Pierre-Martin de Lamartiniere. Travel to the Nordic countries
12. Everything about the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Development of Novaya Zemlya
13. Everything about the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Settlement of Novaya Zemlya
14. Sosnovsky I. V. The most humble report on the state of the Arkhangelsk province for 1909. Arkhangelsk, 1911 (undefined) . Project "Electronic Memory of the Arctic". emaproject.com. Retrieved January 30, 2013. Archived February 1, 2013.
15. Nature and People, 1912, No. 21
16. About the municipality
17. Boyarsky P. “Russian Arctic” is unique (undefined) . // Internet edition "Vesti.ru"(June 27, 2009). Retrieved April 23, 2016.
18. Donskikh, Ekaterina. Adventurer in the Arctic. How a unique scientist grew from a romantic // Arguments and Facts. - 2014. - No. 9 (1738) for February 26. - P. 62. (Retrieved April 23, 2016)
19. Hydrographers of the Northern Fleet discovered an island in the area of ​​​​Novaya Zemlya (Russian), TASS. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
20. Novaya Zemlya - history of settlement (undefined) . arhangelsk.allnw.ru. Retrieved January 30, 2013. Archived February 1, 2013.

Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, consisting of two large islands - North and South, separated by the Matochkin Shar Strait. The length of the strait is 107 kilometers, width 1.5-2 kilometers. From January to May, the strait is covered with ice up to one and a half meters thick.

The Novaya Zemlya islands are located in the Arctic basin between the two seas, the Barents (warm) and Kara (cold); both seas belong to the Arctic climate zone.

The southern tip of Novaya Zemlya - Cape Menshikov is located at latitude 70°30" north, Northern part- Cape Zhelaniya at latitude 77° north.

Severny Island and part of Yuzhny Island are located in the Arctic desert zone. About half the surface of Severny Island is occupied by glaciers; their continuous cover extends 400 kilometers in length and up to 70-75 kilometers in width. The thickness of many glaciers exceeds 300 meters. Often glaciers slide into the open sea, giving rise to icebergs.

In my own way geographical location The islands are a natural frontal divide between the seas, which have a significant impact on the climate.

The archipelago itself is covered with permafrost and ice and has the following characteristics:

Length	928 km
total area	81300 km 2
Maximum width	144 km
Minimum width	32km
Ice thickness	1.5m
Minimum temperature	-43°С
Maximum temperature	+26°С
Maximum speed wind	55 m/sec
Storm alerts per year	from 80 to 150 days
Average number of days with snow cover	244 days
Length of polar day	90 days
Duration of the polar night	70 days

The archipelago is composed mainly of Paleozoic rocks, which are covered with Quaternary sediments on top. The most ancient rocks in the Cambrian archipelago are black phyllites, sandstones, shales and conglomerates with a trilobite fauna. In the geological past, the coastal land areas of the archipelago were covered with multi-meter thick layers of early Quaternary ice caps. When the glaciers retreated, a gradual rise of the seabed began, which continues today at a rate of about 5-6 mm per year. It is likely that these areas of land were freed from under the sea approximately seven to eight thousand years ago.

The mountains of Novaya Zemlya are mainly located along the coast of the Barents Sea, and the width of the mountain strip on the archipelago varies greatly. If in the area of ​​the Matochkin Shar Strait the mountains are located almost from sea to sea, then as you move away from it to the south or north, this strip narrows. The highest peaks are characterized by a cut, leveled character. Highest unnamed peak South Island has an elevation of 1342 meters, located abeam the middle reaches of the Chirakina River. The mountains along the banks of Matochkina Shar rarely exceed 1000 meters (Gefera - 1133 m, Sedova - 1115 m), while there are many such peaks along the width of the peninsula. This is also where highest peak archipelago, 1547 meters high, which does not have a name on the maps, although, according to available information, F. Litke assigned it the name of Krusenstern. The mountains are deeply dissected by river and glacial valleys.

The rivers of Novaya Zemlya are mostly short (the length of the largest of them does not exceed 130 km), mountainous, with shallow depths, fast flowing, with rocky, rapids beds. The depth of the rivers does not exceed 3 m, the flow speed is 1.5-2 m/s. The most significant rivers on the island. Northern - Gusinaya and Promyslovaya, on the island. Southern - Bezymyannaya, Shumilikha and Chirakina. River flow is seasonal and summer. Rivers freeze to the bottom in winter. Lakes are numerous and vary in size, configuration, genesis, feeding conditions and chemical composition. The lakes on the plain are relict and thermokarst, along sea ​​coast- lagoonal, separated from the sea by spits and bars; in the mountains - glacial or dammed by moraines. Most large lakes have an area of ​​up to 60 km 2, a depth of up to 20-30 m, in some cases up to 90 m.

Geography of the Belushi Peninsula

In the southern part of the mainland, the terrain decreases and turns into a slightly hilly plain. The territory of the peninsula is well divided into three natural areas with unequal relief and separated from each other deep depressions, former straits between Belushya Bay and Rogachev Bay (lagoons). Nowadays they are separated from both bays from the west and east by sandy bridges, and in depressions with steep northern and southern shores there are salt-water lakes (1st Transverse Lagoon and 2nd Gavrilovskaya Lagoon). In the historical past, 200-300 years ago, when Arkhangelsk coast-dwellers went fishing to Novaya Zemlya, these transverse lagoons could be easily navigated by ships from Belushiya Bay to Rogachev Bay and back.

The southern tip of the peninsula is steep, maximum height banks 10-17 meters. The western part is swampy and contains several small lakes.

In the center of the peninsula, delimited from its northern territory by the 1st Transverse Lagoon, there is a vast depression with several large but shallow freshwater lakes - the Small and Bolshoi Sidorovsky lakes, and several unnamed ones.

The northern part of the peninsula, the most significant in area and the most elevated with a height of about 38 meters, is limited from the north by Gavrilov Bay, and from the south by the 1st Transverse Lagoon. It has a rugged terrain with several extensive swampy depressions, at the bottom of which are all the modern large lakes (Bolshoye and Maloe Gavrilovsky, Maloe and Bolshoye Ilya Vylki, Maloe and Bolshoye Rogachevsky, Bolshoye Shmidta). These reservoirs are wastewater and flowing, some of them are connected by streams, such as lakes Gavrilovskie and Ilya Vylki. Interesting natural objects located on west bank In this part of the peninsula there are the Astronomicheskaya, Stvornaya and Sukhaya lagoons, which were recently separated from the sea.

Invasion of polar bears on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago . It is important to note that in the period from December 2018 to February 2019 near populated areas archipelago Novaya Zemlya Local residents have observed a fairly large concentration of polar bears. By decision of authorized persons, starting from February 9, 2019, on the territory of the Russian Arctic archipelago Novaya Zemlya A state of emergency was introduced. This was done due to the massive invasion of polar bears.
For example, in the vicinity of the Arctic village of Belushya Guba, 52 polar bears were observed. In addition, cases of polar bears attacking people have been recorded. Cases of polar bears entering residential and various office premises. It is worth noting that throughout the entire territory of the comfortable village of Belushya Guba archipelago Novaya Zemlya Approximately six to nine polar bears are permanent residents.
According to one famous scientist, the invasion of bears is associated both with the traditional seasonal migration of these animals and the presence of landfills with various food waste in Arctic villages.
It is noteworthy that in order to ensure safety, they began to accept necessary measures precautions. For example, reliable additional fencing was installed in local kindergartens in children's walking areas. In addition, delivery of local children to kindergartens was organized.
It is also already planned to organize a feeding area for polar bears far from the village of Belushya Guba, which will significantly protect local residents from bear invasions.
After 10 days, namely February 19, 2019, the state of emergency in the Arctic archipelago Novaya Zemlya was canceled due to the “voluntary” departure of the bears.
Location of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago .

Russian territory Novaya Zemlya archipelago is a fairly large archipelago, which is widely spread in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, namely between the Kara Sea and the Kara Sea.
is part of the northern region of the country. in the south it is separated from Vaygach Island by the Kara Gate Strait, the width of which is approximately 50 km.
Characteristics of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago . Extensive Novaya Zemlya archipelago consists of: two fairly large islands, namely the Northern Island and the Southern Island, which are separated by the narrow Matochkin Shar Strait, the width of which is approximately 2-3 km, and of many relatively small islands, of which largest island is the island of Mezhdusharsky. Northeastern tip of the North Island archipelago Novaya Zemlya Cape Flissingsky is considered. This is the easternmost point.

Length archipelago Novaya Zemlya in the direction from southwest to northeast it is 924.9 km. Northernmost point archipelago Novaya Zemlya considered the eastern island of the Greater Orange Islands, and the most southern point considered the Pynin Islands of the picturesque Petukhovsky archipelago, the extreme western point is an unnamed cape, which is located on the Goose Land peninsula of the South Island, the extreme eastern point is Cape Flissingsky of the North Island.
total area archipelago Novaya Zemlya is over 83,000 km². It is worth noting that the width of the North Island reaches 123 km, and the width of the South Island is 143 km. According to the 2010 census, archipelago Novaya Zemlya There were about 3,000 inhabitants.
Northern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago . Approximately half the area of ​​the North Island is occupied by glaciers. The area, which extends almost 401 km in length and up to approximately 71-74.5 km in width, contains a continuous white ice sheet covering an area of ​​approximately 20,000 km². The thickness of the ice cover here is more than 300 meters. In some places, the ice descends into picturesque fjords or drops steeply straight into the open sea, forming large ice barriers and thus giving rise to huge ice blocks - icebergs, the weight of which can sometimes reach several million tons.
Total area of ​​glaciation archipelago Novaya Zemlya is 29,767 km², of which approximately 92% is covered by glaciation and 7.9% is due to unique mountain glaciers.
On the South Island above the above-mentioned archipelago there are areas of the Chechen tundra that are surprisingly charming in their beauty.
Climate of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago . On the Russian major archipelago Novaya Zemlya severe prevails, . Winter here is very cold and long strong winds and snowstorms. The speed of winter winds on the archipelago reaches approximately 40-50 m/s, which is why Novaya Zemlya is sometimes also called the “Land of the Winds”. Frosts on archipelago Novaya Zemlya reach −40 °C. average temperature air in the warmest month of the year - August - varies from +2.5 °C in the northern part of the archipelago to +6.5 °C in its southern part.
Thus, the difference in temperature between the coasts of the Barents Sea and the Kara Sea exceeds approximately 5°C.
It is noteworthy that this temperature asymmetry is explained by the difference in ice conditions above mentioned seas.
On archipelago Novaya Zemlya There are many small lakes, the water in which, under the rays of the sun in the southern regions, can warm up to even +18 °C.

The island archipelago of Novaya Zemlya is located on the border of the Kara, Barents and Pechora seas, which belong to the Arctic Ocean. The Kara Gate Strait separates Novaya Zemlya from Vaygach Island by approximately fifty kilometers. It is believed that the first explorers and Novgorod merchants called the islands of the archipelago this common name. Most likely, they believed that the lands they saw across the strait were new. The Novaya Zemlya archipelago consists of the two largest islands, North and South, they are separated by the narrow Matochkin Shar Strait. What do they look like?

In addition, there are small rocks and small islands nearby. Other islands and island groups include: Bolshie Oransky, Gorbovye, Pastukhov, Pyniny and Mezhdusharsky Islands. By the way, the latter is the third in the archipelago in terms of area. The islands of the archipelago are spread over an area of ​​more than 83 thousand square kilometers. The territory of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago belongs to Russian Federation. Administratively, it is part of the Arkhangelsk region, as a territorial municipal entity. Visit beautiful.

History of Novaya Zemlya

The Englishman Hugh Willoughby, in 1553, led an expedition that was aimed at opening routes through the north to India. He became the first European to see the islands of the archipelago. Gerard Mercator - Dutch cartographer and geographer, published a map in 1595 based on Hugh's notes. Novaya Zemlya appeared on it as a peninsula. In 1596, the expedition of Willem Barents circumnavigated the islands of Novaya Zemlya from the north and spent the winter on Severny Island. In 1653, the Frenchman Pierre-Martin de la Martiniere, together with Danish merchants, visited Novaya Zemlya. They met representatives of the Samoyed tribe, who were local residents, on the shore of the South Island.

Emperor Peter I planned to build a fort on Novaya Zemlya to signify the Russian presence in the archipelago. In 1768-69, Fyodor Rozmyslov, the first traveler and Russian explorer on the islands of Novaya Zemlya, arrived here. Two centuries ago Russian empire officially declared that the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago territorially belonged to it. Then the forced settlement of the islands by Pomors and Nenets began. The village of Olginsky was founded on Severny Island in 1910, at that time it became the northernmost populated area of ​​the Russian Empire.

In 1954, a Soviet nuclear test site was founded on these islands, the center of which was Belushya Guba. In addition, work in this area was carried out at three other sites on the archipelago. Unfortunately, in 1961, the world’s most powerful explosion occurred at this island test site. A 58 megaton hydrogen bomb exploded. Today, the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya remains the only operating nuclear test site on Russian territory. Also, the Novaya Zemlya archipelago has rich history and interesting landscapes.

Origin of the island

The area of ​​the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is quite impressive. The length of the islands of the archipelago is 925 kilometers, and the width reaches 120-140 kilometers. East Island is the northernmost zone of Novaya Zemlya, it belongs to the Great Orange Islands. The Pynin Islands are the southernmost point; they are part of the Petukhovsky archipelago. Cape Bezymyany is the western side, it is located on Yuzhny Island, the Goose Land peninsula. Cape Vlissingsky is the easternmost point on Severny Island, also called the easternmost point in Europe.

The shores of the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago are distinguished by a winding line. There are many fjords and bays formed here, they are perfectly connected to the land. The bays on the western coast are considered the largest, among them: Krestovaya Bay, Mityushikha Bay, Glazov Bay, Mashigin Bay, Inostrantsev Bay, Borzov Bay, Nordenskiöld Bay and Russian Harbor. And in the east there are the lips: Oga, Rusanova, Schubert, Unknown and Bear. The islands of the archipelago have a mountainous terrain, mostly rocky and inaccessible shores. The height of the mountains increases towards the center of the islands. On Severny Island there is an unnamed mountain, considered the highest point of the archipelago. A significant part of this island is covered with glaciers. Closer to the coast, they form small icebergs.

Many small rivers originate in mountainous areas islands: North and South. These rivers flow into the Barents and Kara Seas. Notable lakes include Goltsovoye Lake, which is located in the south of Severny Island. And in the west of Yuzhny Island there is Lake Gusinoye. Experts classify the islands of the archipelago as continental in origin. Most likely, they were formed during the period of continental movement; they are called coeval Ural mountains. There is a hypothesis that Yuzhny Island was a peninsula somewhere before the 16th century. That’s why it used to be marked that way on maps. When the seabed began to subside, it became an island.

Others argue that the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago were part of an ancient geological platform. Basically, the islands of the archipelago consist of granites and basalts, such is its geological structure. The discovered mineral resources include large deposits of iron and manganese ores. In addition to them, deposits of lead, silver, tin and rare earth metals were found.

The climate on these islands is harsh; experts classify it as arctic. Winter days last long enough and they are cold. Strong gusty winds are typical at this time. In winter there are often snowfalls and blizzards, temperatures can drop to -40 degrees. Summer is relatively cold, temperatures rise above +7 degrees. Therefore, the climate of the islands is very cold; you won’t get warm sunshine here. We recommend that you bring warm clothes with you.

Features of the Novaya Zemlya Islands

When the Soviet nuclear test site was created on the territory of the archipelago, they took it to the continent indigenous people, who lived here since the era of the Russian Empire. The villages were empty, they were occupied by technical and military personnel. They began to ensure the vital functions of the landfill facilities. Today there are only two settlements on Yuzhny Island - Rogachevo and Belushya Guba. But on the other islands of Novaya Zemlya there are no permanent settlements. The total number of people living in the lands of the archipelago is no more than 2,500 people. These are mainly technical personnel, military personnel and meteorologists.

The island ecosystem is classified as a biome that is typical of arctic deserts. This applies to the north of the North and South Islands. The conditions here are not the easiest for plants, so lichens and mosses grow. In addition to them, Arctic herbaceous annual grasses are found in the south of the archipelago, a significant part of them are classified as creeping species. Naturalists pay attention to creeping willow, saxifrage oppositeifolia and mountain lichen. On Yuzhny Island you can see low grasses and dwarf birches. Island mushrooms include: milk mushrooms and honey mushrooms. They are found in lake areas and river valleys. The island's reservoirs contain fish, mainly arctic char.

The fauna is quite modest. Mammals such as lemmings, arctic foxes and reindeer. In winter on south coast Polar bears live. Marine mammals include: harp seals, walruses, seals and seals. Whale sightings are common in inland bays and coastal waters. The islands were favored by various representatives of the bird world, such as seagulls, puffins and guillemots. They formed the largest bird markets in Russia. Ptarmigan is also found on the islands.

To date, the islands of Novaya Zemlya remain closed to large quantity tourists and travelers. Tourism is not developed in these places, because there is a nuclear test site and other military facilities. To visit the islands of the archipelago, you must obtain special permission from the Russian authorities, and must also be kept in the strictest secrecy. Naturalists and scientists are not allowed to enter here, so there is discontent among the world community. Environmental organizations are concerned about the environmental situation on Novaya Zemlya, because nuclear tests were conducted here. Despite the fact that the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago remain one of the closed territories, the world community continues to show interest in them. No one is predicting yet exact time changes in the tourism sector of the Novaya Zemlya islands.

The Novaya Zemlya archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean between the Kara and. It consists of two islands - North and South - separated by the Matochkin Shar Strait. Severny Island is more than half covered by glaciers.

History of discovery

The Oran Islands - the northernmost in the archipelago - were discovered in 1594 by the Barents expedition, and received their name in honor of the Dutch prince Moritz of Orange. There is a large walrus rookery on the islands.

New Earth in the time of the Great Ones geographical discoveries was a wintering place for expeditions that were unable to break through the ice fields.
Back in the XII-XV centuries. on Novaya Zemlya there were temporary settlements of Pomors who moved to the archipelago for the sake of fishing, hunting. They took with them everything they needed for wintering on the islands - from firewood to building material for huts. Over time, a unique culture of Pomeranian hunters formed on the islands.
Discovery of Novaya Zemlya by Europeans in the 16th century. was associated with the search for northeastern sea ​​route to India as an alternative to the southern routes controlled by Spain and Portugal. The path was very difficult, beyond Novaya Zemlya it was blocked by ice, so many sailors had to spend the winter in the harsh conditions of the archipelago; There were also those who were never destined to return to their homeland.
One of the expeditions to the northeastern passage was led by the navigator Willem Barents, who set off in the summer of 1594. The first attempt to find a trade route was unsuccessful, and in 1596 it was equipped new expedition. During another grueling journey, the team was forced to spend the winter on Novaya Zemlya, as the Mercury ship was frozen in Ice Harbor Bay on the northeastern tip of Severny Island as part of the archipelago. Only on June 14, 1957, Barents’ team managed to continue their journey, but the navigator himself died at the northwestern tip of the archipelago.
Later, already in 1608, the English navigator Henry Hudson visited Novaya Zemlya, who also tried to find the northeastern passage. In the middle of the 17th century. The ships of the Danish expedition reached Novaya Zemlya with similar goals.
At the same time, Russian expeditions began to be sent to Novaya Zemlya, as the Russian Empire was interested in exploring new sources of silver and copper ores. However, at first they all ended with the death of most of their participants. One of the first successful trips to the archipelago was made by Savva Loshkin in 1760-1761: then he was able to overcome the path along east coast New Earth.
The traveler who laid the foundation for the scientific exploration of Novaya Zemlya was Fyodor Rozmyslov (d. 1771). On July 10, 1768, he set off with his team from Arkhangelsk to Novaya Zemlya and reached his goal a month later. Here Rozmyslov was engaged in the search for mineral deposits, meteorological and geodetic research.
In addition, he compiled an inventory of the Matochkin Shar Strait.
Until the 19th century The archipelago remained uninhabited, it was used as a transit point and a place for fishing and hunting. However, in order to minimize the risks of the seizure of sparsely populated lands, by the end of the century the gradual settlement of the islands began, albeit mainly by Nenets families.
At the beginning of the 20th century. There were still many blank spots on the map of Novaya Zemlya, so research expeditions constantly worked on the islands of the archipelago. In particular, the Novaya Zemlya expedition of 1911 is known, as a result of which old abandoned settlements of Pomors were discovered.

Nuclear test site

A nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya during Soviet times, and since then access to the archipelago has been limited.
Currently, Novaya Zemlya is a closed administrative-territorial entity consisting of Arkhangelsk region. A special pass is required to visit the archipelago. This practice has been preserved since Soviet times, when settlements on Novaya Zemlya were closed for security reasons and their existence was unknown.
On September 17, 1954, a Soviet nuclear test site was opened on Novaya Zemlya, which included three sites: Black Lip, Sukhoi Nos and Matochkin Shar (underground tests were carried out at the latter). Almost everything Nenets population was expelled from the archipelago, military personnel and specialists who worked at the training ground were stationed in the villages.
After the USSR and the USA signed an agreement banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere, under water and in space, at the Black Lip and Sukhoy Nose sites, experiments were stopped. However, underground explosions in the Matochkina Shar area were carried out until 1990.

Population

Main locality archipelago - Belushya Guba - was founded in 1897. With the opening of the nuclear test site, a completely new page opened in its history, since it was designated administrative center this experimental complex. Today, the village retains its status, as the landfill continues to operate. Experiments are carried out on it, including to ensure the safe storage of nuclear weapons. In addition, there is a military unit in the village.
However, the legacy of the Cold War is not limited to the nuclear test site. Nuclear waste disposal sites are located in some bays of Novaya Zemlya. To avoid the leakage of hazardous substances, they are constantly monitored by both Russian services and European specialists.
The second most important and populous point in Novaya Zemlya is the village of Rogachevo on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula. There are other villages on the archipelago, but they have no permanent population. Among them is the village of Matochkin Shar, which has seasonal commercial significance.

Nature

Novaya Zemlya is a land of harsh nature. More than half of the archipelago's territory is covered by glaciers, and this is predominantly cover glaciation rather than mountain glaciation.

On Novaya Zemlya there reigns a natural world that is natural for the Arctic lands with a variety of species of birds and fish. First of all, the archipelago is famous for its very large bird colonies: here you can see gulls, guillemots, and puffins. On the shore of Lake Gusinoye on the Gusinaya Zemlya peninsula, which is very rich in fish, many geese gather during the molting period.

The archipelago preserves relatively heat-loving plants, which are usually not found in such a harsh climate. Among them are cloudberries, blueberries, lingonberries, some types of sorrel, fireweed and other plants. In addition, alien plants are found on the islands, including several types of buttercups and clover. The seeds fell into the local soil with expeditions and merchant ships.

Man on New Earth is constantly in contact with wildlife. Greater threat For the local population, they are represented by polar bears, which, with the onset of cold weather, go to the villages in search of food. There are frequent cases of attacks by these predators on people.

general information

Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
Location: between the Barents and Kara seas.

Administrative affiliation: Russian Federation.
Administrative center of Novaya Zemlya: Belushya Guba - 2308 people. (2015).

Status: closed administrative-territorial entity.
Russian language.
Ethnic composition: Russians.
Religion: Orthodoxy

Numbers

Area: 83,000 km2.
Population: 2429 people. (2010).
The most high point : 1547 m.
Length: length - 925 km, width - from 32 to 144 km.

Climate and weather

Arctic.
Length of polar day: 90 days.
Duration of the polar night: 70 days.
Average January temperature: -14.2°C.
Average temperature in July: +6.9°C.
Average annual precipitation: 419.3 mm.

Economy

Fishing, hunting.

Attractions

Cult

It is believed that members of Barents' team were among the first Europeans to see a polar bear.

October 30, 1961 on nuclear test site“Sukhoy Nos” in the southwest of Severny Island passed the test of the most powerful explosive device in the history of mankind - the thermonuclear aviation “Tsar Bomba”.

Cape Zhelaniya got its name for a curious reason: on the Barents map it was marked as Zhelanny, but due to an inaccuracy in the translation, according to the Russian-language tradition, it began to be called Cape Zhelaniya.