Vaygach Island
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Vaygach Island (Russian: Вайга́ч) is an island in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, in the Arctic Sea on the border of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea.
Vaygach Island is separated from the mainland by the Yugorsky Strait and Kara Strait, correspondingly. The island is a part of Nenets Autonomous Okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.
- Area: 3,383 km²
- Length: ~100 km
- Width: up to 45 km
- Average temperatures: −20°С (February), +5°С (June)
- Highest point: 170 m
Vaygach Island is mainly formed with argillaceous slates, sandstone, and limestone. There are many rivers (20–40 km in length), swamps, and small lakes on the island. It is covered with tundra vegetation. The settlements of Vaygach, Dolgaya Guba, and Varnek are located on the island.
The name of the island translates from the Nenets as "alluvial shore". Until the 19th century, the island was an important shrine of the Nenets people. There were polycephalic wooden idols painted with blood of holy animals, primarily reindeers.
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