Gallya

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Location of Hall Island in the Franz Josef Archipelago

Gallya or Hall Island (Russian: Остров Галля; Ostrov Gallya) is an island in Franz Josef Land, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.

Hall Island is almost completely glacierized. The only relatively large areas free of permanent ice are located in its southern end, where there are two landheads, Mys Tegetkhoff (Cape Tegethoff), and also Mys Ozernyy, on Poluostrov Littova (Littov Peninsula). There is also a very small unglacierized area around its eastern cape, Mys Frankfurt, and another in its northwestern point, Mys Uigginsa (Cape Wiggins).

Hall Island's area is 1049 km² and it is one of the largest islands in the group. Its highest point is 502 m. There is a wide bay on the southeastern side of Hall Island known as Zaliv Gidrografov and a smaller one west of the Littov Peninsula called Bukhta Surovaya.

Hall Island is located very close to the eastern shores of MacKlintok Island, separated from it by a narrow sound. To the southeast there is a wider strait separating Hall Island from Salm Island known in Russian as Proliv Lavroka. The strait ot the east is the large Avstriskiy Proliv.

Hall Island was named after American Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall. In some Russian maps this island appears as Ostrov Khol (Остров Хол).

[edit] History

This island was discovered on August 30, 1873, by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition. It was the first island of the Franz Josef group to be discovered.

In 1898-99 a small camp was built at Mys Tegetkhof (Cape Tegethoff, 80°05′N, 58°01′E) by the Walter Wellman expedition. It contains a marker commemorating the discovery of the archipelago. Cape Tegethoff was named after the main ship of the Austro-Hungarian explorers.

[edit] Adjacent small islands

Right off Hall Island's northern shore lie three small islets called Ostrova Brounova (Brown Islands). They were named in honor of George Brown, of the British Navy, who went in the 1850-1854 expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, under the command of Captain R. M'Clure, on the Investigator.

6 km west of Hall island's northwestern cape lies oval-shaped 5 km long Ostrov N'yukomba (Остров Нюкомба). Unglacierized. Highest point 67 m. This island was named after Raymond Lee Newcomb, the naval officer in charge of the 1882–84 party searching for the ill-fated DeLong's expedition on ship Jeannette

1.5 km off the northeastern side of Hall Island's eastern bay lies small but steep Ostrov Bergkhauz (Остров Бергхауз), reaching a height of 372 m. Unglacierized. This island was named after cartographer Heinrich Berghaus (1797-1884).