Taymyr Island
Encyclopedia
Taymyr Island, Russian: Остров Таймыр (Ostrov Taymyr), is a large island in the coast of the Kara Sea
. Its length is 33 km (20.5 mi) and its average width about 10 km (6.2 mi). This island is located west of the Taymyr Gulf
in an area of skerries
right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
. The narrow strait between Taymyr island and the Siberian coast is called Proliv Taymyrskiy It is about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide on average.
The shores of Taymyr Island and some of its larger neighboring islands, like Nansena
, Bonevi and Pilota Makhotkina, are deeply indented, with many crooked inlets. The sounds between this island and neighboring islands are also somewhat labyrinthic. Geologically all these coastal islands are a continuation of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago
which lies further north.
The sea surrounding Taymyr Island is covered with pack ice with some polynias during the long and bitter winters and there are many ice floes even in the summer.
Taymyr Island belongs to the Krasnoyarsk Krai
administrative division of Russia
and is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
– the largest nature reserve of Russia and one of the biggest in the world.
’s fateful last expedition, winter quarters for ship Zarya
were set at Nablyudeniy Island and a scientific station was built there. This is a small granite island southwest of Taymyr Island, located in a bay that Baron Toll named Bukhta Kolin Archera (Colin Archer
Bay), after the shipyard where Zarya
had been built.
In some maps Taymyr Island is named simply as Taymyra. This island should not be confused with Maly Taymyr Island
, located in the Laptev Sea
off Severnaya Zemlya
's southeastern shores.
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
. Its length is 33 km (20.5 mi) and its average width about 10 km (6.2 mi). This island is located west of the Taymyr Gulf
Taymyr Gulf
The Taymyr Gulf is a gulf in the Kara Sea that includes the estuary of the Lower Taymyr River. The estuary opens roughly northwestwise from the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula into the eastern expanses of the Kara Sea, widening from about 4 km at the river's mouth to about 20 km...
in an area of skerries
Skerries
Skerries is the plural of skerry, meaning a small rocky island.Skerries may refer to a number of geographical locations:-Ireland:*Skerries, Dublin, a seaside town in Ireland*The Skerries, Northern Ireland...
right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula
Taymyr Peninsula
The Taymyr Peninsula is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of mainland Eurasia and Asia...
. The narrow strait between Taymyr island and the Siberian coast is called Proliv Taymyrskiy It is about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide on average.
The shores of Taymyr Island and some of its larger neighboring islands, like Nansena
Nansen Island (Kara Sea)
Nansen Island , is a long and narrow island in the coast of the Kara Sea. Its length is and its average width about . This island is located in an area of skerries right off the western coast of the Taymyr Peninsula...
, Bonevi and Pilota Makhotkina, are deeply indented, with many crooked inlets. The sounds between this island and neighboring islands are also somewhat labyrinthic. Geologically all these coastal islands are a continuation of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago
Nordenskiöld Archipelago
The Nordenskiöld Archipelago or Nordenskjold Archipelago is a very large and complex cluster of islands in the eastern region of the Kara Sea. Its eastern limit lies west of the Taymyr Peninsula....
which lies further north.
The sea surrounding Taymyr Island is covered with pack ice with some polynias during the long and bitter winters and there are many ice floes even in the summer.
Taymyr Island belongs to the Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk...
administrative division of 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...
and is part of the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia...
– the largest nature reserve of Russia and one of the biggest in the world.
History
In October 1900, during Baron Eduard von TollEduard Toll
Eduard Gustav von Toll was a Baltic German geologist and Arctic explorer in Russian service. Often referred to as Baron von Toll or as Eduard v. Toll, in Russia he is known as Eduard Vasiliyevich Toll . Eduard Toll was born on and he died in 1902 in an unknown location in the Arctic Ocean)...
’s fateful last expedition, winter quarters for ship Zarya
Zarya (polar ship)
Zarya was a steam- and sail-powered brig used by the Russian Academy of Sciences for a polar exploration during 1900–1903.Toward the end of the 19th century, the Russian Academy of Sciences sought to build a general-purpose research vessel for long-term expeditions. The first such Russian...
were set at Nablyudeniy Island and a scientific station was built there. This is a small granite island southwest of Taymyr Island, located in a bay that Baron Toll named Bukhta Kolin Archera (Colin Archer
Colin Archer
Colin Archer was a Norwegian naval architect and shipbuilder from Larvik, Norway. His parents emigrated from Scotland to Norway in 1825....
Bay), after the shipyard where Zarya
Zarya (polar ship)
Zarya was a steam- and sail-powered brig used by the Russian Academy of Sciences for a polar exploration during 1900–1903.Toward the end of the 19th century, the Russian Academy of Sciences sought to build a general-purpose research vessel for long-term expeditions. The first such Russian...
had been built.
In some maps Taymyr Island is named simply as Taymyra. This island should not be confused with Maly Taymyr Island
Maly Taymyr Island
Maly Taymyr Island is an island in the Laptev Sea, Russian Arctic.It is located off the southeastern end of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and northeast of the Taymyr Peninsula and has a smaller island, Starokadomsky Island, close by on its northwestern side.The area of Maly Taymyr Island is and...
, located in the Laptev Sea
Laptev Sea
The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, the Taimyr Peninsula, Severnaya Zemlya and the New Siberian Islands. Its northern boundary passes from the Arctic Cape to a point with co-ordinates of 79°N and 139°E, and ends at the Anisiy...
off 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...
's southeastern shores.
External links
- Location: http://worldmaps.web.infoseek.co.jp/russia_guide.htm
- William BarrWilliam Barr (Arctic historian)William Barr is a Scottish historian now resident of Calgary, Canada, with a specific interest in the history of exploration of the Arctic, and to a lesser degree, the Antarctic. He holds degrees in Geography from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland and McGill University, Québec, Canada...
, Baron Eduard von Toll’s Last Expedition, 1900-1903. - Taymyr Island and adjacent islands: http://www.ivki.ru/kapustin/journal/troitskiy3.htm
- Nature Reserve: http://www.bigarctic.ru/Eng/
- Nansen's explorations: http://www.evenkya.ru/rus/?artcategory_id=1723&article_id=1748&id=ez&sid=ez