Great Northern Expedition

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In Russian history, the Great Northern Expedition (Russian: Великая Северная экспедиция, a.k.a. Вторая Камчатская экспедиция, or Second Kamchatka Expedition) refers to the continuation of an enterprise initially conceived by emperor Peter I the Great to map the Northern Sea Route to the East. It was sponsored by the Admiralty College in St. Petersburg.

The expedition was undertaken in (1733–1743) through a series of voyages undertaken by Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov.

This combined effort succeeded in mapping a large section of the Arctic coast of Siberia, greatly reducing the "white areas" on the maps.

From the economic point of view it stimulated Siberian merchants to develop fur trading on islands near Alaska.

"The Great Northern Expedition was the first and last state-sponsored endeavor of Imperial Russia. Until the October Revolution it was common for individuals to explore and develop the Arctic at their own expense and at the risk of their lives. However, the history of the Arctic enthusiasts under Imperial rule such as Fedor Vrangel' (sic), Count Fedor Litke, gold-mining magnate Alexander Sibiryakov, Admiral Kolchak or, at least, Jan Nagórski (the first pilot to cross the Arctic Circle), still deserves further elaboration ... A comparison between the Imperial and Soviet era would probably be a fascinating undertaking, especially under the aspects of the explorers' self-image and its impact on popular culture. Such a task ... still awaits scholarly reflection." (Eva-Maria Stolberg)

[edit] References

• Encyclopaedia Britannica
• "Red Arctic" Reviewed by Eva-Maria Stolberg. Institute of Russian History, University of Bonn. In Search of a Soviet Klondike in the Tundra. [1]

[edit] See also

• Northern Sea Route
• Northwest Passage
• Arctic Bridge
• Territorial claims in the Arctic
• Continental shelf of Russia