October Revolution Island

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Coordinates: 79°30′N 97°00′E / 79.500°N 97.000°E / 79.500; 97.000

October Revolution
Native name: Остров Октябрьской Революции

October Revolution Island, Russia
October Revolution Island (Russia)
Geography
Location Arctic
Coordinates 79°30′N 97°00′E / 79.500°N 97.000°E / 79.500; 97.000
Archipelago Severnaya Zemlya
Area 14,170 km2 (5,470 sq mi)[1]
Area rank 56th
Highest elevation 965 m (3,166 ft)
Highest point Mount Karpinsky
Country
Krai  Krasnoyarsk Krai

October Revolution Island (Russian: Остров Октябрьской Революции, Ostrov Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii) is the largest island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic.

The area of this island has been estimated at 14,170 km2 (5,470 sq mi) making it the 56th largest island in the world.[1] It rises to a height of 965 m (3,166 ft) on Mount Karpinsky. Half the island is covered with glaciers reaching down into the sea. In the sections free from ice, the vegetation is desert or tundra. The island was discovered by Boris Vilkitsky in 1913, but its insularity wasn’t proven until 1931, when Georgy Ushakov and Nikolay Urvantsev charted the archipelago during their 1930–32 expedition.[2][3]

Geography

October Revolution Island houses five domed ice caps; clockwise from north, they are named: Rusanov, Karpinsky, University, Vavilov and Albanov.[4] The Vavilov Meteorological Station was operated from 1974 to 1988 on the northern part of the Vavilov Ice Cap.[5] Other minor ice caps on the island include the Mal'yutka Glacier. The Podemnaya River and the Bolshaya River drain to the northwest between the Vavilov and Albanov glaciers, and the Bedovaya and Obryvistaya Rivers drain to the north between Albanov and Rusanov.[6]

The coast of the island is uneven with rugged coves and headlands. The largest bays of the island are along the northern coast.

Renaming

There has been a request to rename this island Svyatoy Alexandry (остров Святой Александры, St. Alexandra's Island).[7]

See also

References

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