Komsomolets Island
Encyclopedia
Komsomolets Island is the northernmost island
of the Severnaya Zemlya
group in the Russia
n Arctic
, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth.
The northernmost point of the island is called the Arctic Cape
. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions.
The area of this island has been estimated at 9,006 km². It rises to a height of 780 m. Some 65% of island is covered with glaciers. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap.
The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose loam
and sand
s, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens.
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. They also named it. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the Russian Revolution
, this island was named in honour of the members of the Komsomol
, the "Communist Union of Youth".
There has been a request to rename this island Svyataya Mariya (St. Maria).
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of the Severnaya Zemlya
Severnaya Zemlya
Severnaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Russian high Arctic at around . It is located off mainland Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula across the Vilkitsky Strait...
group in the 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...
n Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth.
The northernmost point of the island is called the Arctic Cape
Arctic Cape
The Arctic Cape is the northernmost point of the Komsomolets Island, which in turn is the northernmost island of the Russian Severnaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. Its coordinates are approximately...
. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions.
The area of this island has been estimated at 9,006 km². It rises to a height of 780 m. Some 65% of island is covered with glaciers. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap.
The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
and sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
s, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens.
The island was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky
Boris Vilkitsky
Boris Andreyevich Vilkitsky was a Russian hydrographer and surveyor. He was the son of Andrey Ippolitovich Vilkitsky....
in 1913, but its insularity wasn’t proven until 1931, when Georgy Ushakov
Georgy Ushakov
Georgy Alexeyevich Ushakov was a Soviet explorer of the Arctic, Doctor of Geographic Sciences ....
and Nikolay Urvantsev
Nikolay Urvantsev
Nikolay Nikolayevich Urvantsev was a Soviet geologist and explorer. He was born in the town of Lukoyanov of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire to the family of a merchant...
charted the archipelago during their 1930-32 expedition. They also named it. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, this island was named in honour of the members of the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
, the "Communist Union of Youth".
There has been a request to rename this island Svyataya Mariya (St. Maria).
See also
- Photos of the Academy of Science Ice Cap: http://www.ecoshelf.ru/eng/nauka/exp_4.php
- Facts and dramatic satellite photos of the islands of the Severnaya ZemlyaSevernaya ZemlyaSevernaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Russian high Arctic at around . It is located off mainland Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula across the Vilkitsky Strait...
group: http://www.oceandots.com/arctic/severnaya-zemlya