Karl-Alexander Island
Encyclopedia
Karl Alexander Island also known as Zemlya Karla-Alexandra (Земля Карла Александра), is an island in Franz Josef Land
, Russia
.
Karl Alexander Island's length is 29 km (18 mi) and its maximum width is 18 km (11.2 mi). Its area is
329 km² (127 sq mi), but very little of it is ice-free. The highest point on the island is 365 m (1,198 ft).
This island is part of the Zemlya Zichy
subgroup of the Franz Joseph Archipelago. It is separated from Rainer Island
in the east by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) narrow sound and from Jackson Island
in the South by a 6 km (3.7 mi) wide sound.
Karl Alexander Island was named by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
after one of the noblemen that financed the venture, Austro-Hungarian aristocrat Alfred Wilhelm Karl Alexander Graf von Salm-Hoogstraeten (born 25 May 1851 in Münster, died 17 January 1919 in Vienna).
This island should not be confused with Alexandra Land
, also in the Franz Josef Archipelago.
There are four small islets off Karl Alexander Island's northeastern shores:
Franz Josef Land
Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land, or Francis Joseph's Land is an archipelago located in the far north of Russia. It is found in the Arctic Ocean north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard, and is administered by Arkhangelsk Oblast. Franz Josef Land consists of 191 ice-covered islands with a...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Location
Its latitude is 81° 28' N and its longitude 57° 50' E.Karl Alexander Island's length is 29 km (18 mi) and its maximum width is 18 km (11.2 mi). Its area is
329 km² (127 sq mi), but very little of it is ice-free. The highest point on the island is 365 m (1,198 ft).
This island is part of the Zemlya Zichy
Zichy Land
Zichy Land is a geographical subgroup of Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation.It is formed by the central cluster of large islands in the midst of the archipelago...
subgroup of the Franz Joseph Archipelago. It is separated from Rainer Island
Rainer Island
Rainer Island or Rainier Island is an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia. Lat. 81° 42' N; long 59° 00' E....
in the east by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) narrow sound and from Jackson Island
Jackson Island
Jackson Island or Frederick Jackson Island is an island located in Franz Josef Land, Russia. This island is part of the Zichy Land subgroup of the central part of the archipelago....
in the South by a 6 km (3.7 mi) wide sound.
Karl Alexander Island was named by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition was an expedition that ran from 1872–74 and discovered Franz-Josef Land. According to Julius von Payer, one of the leaders, the journey was to find the north-eastern passage. It actually explored the area northwest of Novaya Zemlya. According to the...
after one of the noblemen that financed the venture, Austro-Hungarian aristocrat Alfred Wilhelm Karl Alexander Graf von Salm-Hoogstraeten (born 25 May 1851 in Münster, died 17 January 1919 in Vienna).
This island should not be confused with Alexandra Land
Alexandra Land
Alexandra Land is a large island located in Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation. Not counting detached and far-lying Victoria Island, it is the westernmost island of the Franz Josef Archipelago.The highest point of the island is...
, also in the Franz Josef Archipelago.
Adjacent islands
- Off Karl Alexander Island's northwestern point lie the Chichagov Islands (Острова чичагова; Ostrova Chichagova). These islands were named after Arctic explorer Pavel Vasilievich Chichagov (1767-1848), the son of Admiral Vasili Yakovlevich Chichagov of the Russian Navy.
- To the west of Karl Alexander Island's souththwestern point lie the Pontremoli Islands (Острова Понтремоли; Ostrova Pontremoli), at lat 81° 24' N; long 56° 27' E. They are named after PontremoliPontremoliPontremoli is a small city, comune and bishop's see in the province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany, Italy. Literally translated, "Pontremoli" derives from "Trembling Bridge" , with the commune having been named after a prominent bridge across the Magra.Pontremoli is situated in the upper...
, a town in TuscanyTuscanyTuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
There are four small islets off Karl Alexander Island's northeastern shores:
- The largest one is called Torupa Island (Остров Торупа; Ostrov Torup), located at lat 81° 31' N; long 58° 27' E . It is named after TorupThorupThorup is the name of at least 13 villages and towns in Denmark, and is also used as a surname. The name Thorup ends on "rup" , which means that it originates from the late Viking Age, circa AD 1000.- Sources :*...
, a town in ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. - Ostrov Solov'yëva is located at lat 81° 31' N; long 58° 23' E.
- Northeast of Torup Island lies smaller Coburg Island (Остров Кобург; Ostrov Koburg), at lat 81° 52' N; long 58° 14' E. This island is named after the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. Princess Stéphanie of BelgiumPrincess Stéphanie of BelgiumStéphanie was a Belgium princess by birth, and then made Crown Princess of Austria through her marriage to the heir of the Habsburg dynasty, Archduke Rudolf...
, the wife of Crown Prince Rudolf of AustriaCrown Prince Rudolf of AustriaRudolf , archduke of Austria and crown prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, was the son and heir of Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and his wife and empress, Elisabeth...
(after whom Rudolf IslandRudolf IslandPrince Rudolf Land, Crown Prince Rudolf Land, Prince Rudolf Island or Rudolf Island is the northernmost island of the Franz Josef Archipelago, Russia. The island was named by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition in honor of Archduke Rudolf , Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia...
was named) belonged to this dynasty. - Ostrov Khouena (Гоуэн), is located at lat 81° 49' N; long 58° 32' E. The island was named by Fridtjof NansenFridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
after Anton Christian Houen (1823-1894) , a Norwegian merchant whose philanthropy supported construction of Nansen's ship, the FramFramFram is a ship that was used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912...
. .