Eva Island
Encyclopedia
Eva Island or Eva-Liv Island is the northeasternmost island in Franz Josef Land
, Russia
n Arctic.
Eva Island is roughly rabbit-shaped and its surface is 288 km² (111 sq mi). The highest point of the island is 381 m (1,250 ft).
The area where Eva Island lies was named Hvidtenland (White Land) by Fridtjof Nansen
who reached Eva Island's coast on August 5 1895 during his polar expedition. In his map he drew two islands and he named the largest one to the east Eva Island after his wife Eva Nansen (died in 1907). The "island" to the west, which Nansen reached two days later, was named "Liv Island".
Since the limit of permanent ice crosses Belaya Zemlya, it is often difficult to distinguish between land and sea. However, as the cartography of the Franz Josef Archipelago became more accurate, it became apparent that "Liv Island" was only a peninsula at the western end of Eva Island. Therefore some maps still mention "Eva-Liv Island", a combination of both names.
The heavily glacierized group formed by Eva Island and its two adjacent small islands (Freeden and Adelaide) is still known in Russian as Белая Земля (Belaya Zemlya
), also meaning "White Land", thus retaining Fridjof Nansen's original name.
Belaya Zemlya is separated from the main Franz Josef group by a 45 km (28 mi) broad strait known as Proliv Severo Vostochnyy.
This is the point of the Franz Josef Archipelago that Russian navigator Valerian Albanov
of the doomed Brusilov
expedition was trying to reach when he left the Svyataya Anna
with part of the crew. Albanov, however, ended up far to the southwest in Alexandra Land
.
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...
n Arctic.
Eva Island is roughly rabbit-shaped and its surface is 288 km² (111 sq mi). The highest point of the island is 381 m (1,250 ft).
The area where Eva Island lies was named Hvidtenland (White Land) by Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof 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...
who reached Eva Island's coast on August 5 1895 during his polar expedition. In his map he drew two islands and he named the largest one to the east Eva Island after his wife Eva Nansen (died in 1907). The "island" to the west, which Nansen reached two days later, was named "Liv Island".
Since the limit of permanent ice crosses Belaya Zemlya, it is often difficult to distinguish between land and sea. However, as the cartography of the Franz Josef Archipelago became more accurate, it became apparent that "Liv Island" was only a peninsula at the western end of Eva Island. Therefore some maps still mention "Eva-Liv Island", a combination of both names.
The heavily glacierized group formed by Eva Island and its two adjacent small islands (Freeden and Adelaide) is still known in Russian as Белая Земля (Belaya Zemlya
Belaya Zemlya
Belaya Zemlya is a group of three cold, glaciated islands. It is a geographical subgroup of Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation.Belaya Zemlya is separated from the main Franz Josef group by a broad strait known as Proliv Severo Vostochnyy....
), also meaning "White Land", thus retaining Fridjof Nansen's original name.
Belaya Zemlya is separated from the main Franz Josef group by a 45 km (28 mi) broad strait known as Proliv Severo Vostochnyy.
This is the point of the Franz Josef Archipelago that Russian navigator Valerian Albanov
Valerian Albanov
Valerian Ivanovich Albanov was a Russian navigator, best known for being one of only two survivors of the ill-fated Brusilov expedition of 1912.-Biography:...
of the doomed Brusilov
Georgy Brusilov
Georgy Lvovich Brusilov or Hryhoriy Brusylov was a Ukrainian Russian naval officer of the Imperial Russian Navy and an Arctic explorer...
expedition was trying to reach when he left the Svyataya Anna
Svyataya Anna
The ship Svyataya Anna , named after Saint Anne, was the Philomel-class gunvessel HMS Newport launched in England in 1867. She was sold in 1881 and renamed Pandora II. She was purchased again in about 1890 and renamed Blencathra, taking part in expeditions to the north coast of Russia...
with part of the crew. Albanov, however, ended up far to the southwest in 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...
.
Adjacent Islands
- A few miles to the southwest lies small Adelaide IslandAdelaide Island (Russia)Adelaide Island is an island located in Franz Josef Land, Russian Federation. Located on the north-east of the archipelago. The highest point of the island is .Belaya Zemlya includes Adelaide Island.Yeva-Liv Island lies to the northeast....
(Остров Аделаиды), named in honor of Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-LangenburgPrincess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg was a niece of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was the second daughter of Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Feodora of Leiningen, older half-sister of the British queen...
. It is only 2 km (1.2 mi) in length - Freeden Island (Остров Фреден), is a larger oval-shaped island, with a length of 8.2 km (5.1 mi). It lies 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Adelaide Island. This island was named after Wilhelm von FreedenWilhelm von FreedenWilhelm Ihno Adolf von Freeden was a German mathematician and expert on navigation. He was the founder of the North German Naval Observatory.-Biography:...
, founder of the North German Naval Observatory (Norddeutsche Seewarte).
External links
- Fridtjof Nansen's early map
- http://islands.unep.ch/CEO.htm
- Eva Nansen: http://forum.pravda.ru/index.php?showtopic=636&st=20
- Names in Russian: :ru:%D0%A1%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BA %D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B2 %D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8