Severnaya Zemlya

Severnaya Zemlya is an archipelago in the Russian High Arctic, administered as part of Krasnoyarsk Krai and located north of the Taymyr Peninsula. It is one of the last major archipelagoes of the Arctic to be mapped and covers tens of thousands of square kilometres.

The islands are notable for large ice caps, tidewater glaciers and fjorded coasts. Sea routes around the archipelago are seasonally ice-bound, and landing sites are limited; scientific and expedition visits focus on glaciology, Arctic ecology and sea-ice research. Wildlife observations include seabirds and polar marine species around the coasts.

The group was first charted during the Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition led by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913, and Soviet surveys in the 1920s and 1930s established the modern names and maps. Over the 20th century the area has been used mainly for scientific exploration, cartography and occasional military or research outposts.

Geographically it sits off the northern coast of Siberia, between the Kara Sea to the west and the Laptev Sea to the east, several hundred kilometres north of the Siberian mainland. The archipelago is remote from major settlements; the nearest substantial Russian communities are on the Taymyr Peninsula to the south.

• Access and population: There is no permanent civilian population; occasional polar research stations and seasonal scientific teams visit by icebreaker or helicopter.
• Visiting logistics: Best access window is the brief Arctic summer when sea ice retreats enough for specialized vessels; most visitors require permits and logistical support from Russian authorities.

What to See #

• Major islands: Group of large, mostly glaciated islands in the Russian High Arctic; the largest islands include October Revolution, Bolshevik and Komsomolets. These are the principal landmasses that make up the archipelago and contain the main ice caps and fjorded coasts.
• Glaciation and fjords: Extensive glacier coverage and ice caps dominate the landscape, with outlet glaciers reaching the sea and numerous fjords and ice-filled bays. Ice conditions make overland travel difficult and limit access to summer months.