Taymyr Peninsula

Taymyr Peninsula
Полуостров Таймыр

Location of the Taymyr Peninsula.
Geography
Location Far North
Coordinates 74°00′N 98°00′E / 74.000°N 98.000°E / 74.000; 98.000Coordinates: 74°00′N 98°00′E / 74.000°N 98.000°E / 74.000; 98.000
Adjacent bodies of water
Area 400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi)
Length 1,050 km (652 mi)
Width 520 km (323 mi)
Highest elevation 1,125 m (3,691 ft)
Highest point Byrranga Mountains
Administration
Federal subject Krasnoyarsk Krai

The Taymyr Peninsula (Russian: Полуостров Таймыр, Таймырский полуостров) is a peninsula in the Far North of Russia, in the Siberian Federal District, that forms the northernmost part of the mainland of Eurasia. Administratively it is part of the Krasnoyarsk Krai Federal subject of Russia.

Geography

The Taymyr Peninsula lies between the Yenisei Gulf of the Kara Sea and the Khatanga Gulf of the Laptev Sea.

Lake Taymyr and the Byrranga Mountains are located within the vast Taymyr Peninsula.

Cape Chelyuskin, the northernmost point of the Eurasian continent, is located at the northern end of the Taymyr Peninsula.

Population

Indigenous Nenets people of Taymyr

The Nenets people, also known as Samoyeds, are an indigenous people in northern arctic Russia, and some live at the Taymyr Peninsula.

The Nganasan people are an indigenous Samoyedic people inhabiting central Siberia, including the Taymyr Peninsula. In the Russian Federation, they are recognized as being one of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North. They reside primarily in the settlements of Ust-Avam, Volachanka, and Novaya in the Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, with smaller populations residing in the towns of Dudinka and Norilsk as well.[1] The isolated location of the Nganasan people enabled them to maintain shamanistic practices even in the 20th century.[2]

Economy

MMC Norilsk Nickel conducts mining operations in the area. The company conducts smelting operations in the area of the city of Norilsk, near the peninsula. The nickel ore concentrate and other products of the company are transported over a short railroad to the port city of Dudinka on the Yenisei River, and from there by boat to Murmansk and other ports.

Ecology

The peninsula is the site of the last known naturally occurring muskox outside of North America, which died out about 2,000 years ago.[3] They were successfully reintroduced in 1975.[4] The population grew to 2,500 animals in 2002 increasing to 6,500 in 2010.[5]







Climate

The coasts of the Taymyr Peninsula are frozen most of the year, between September and June on average. The summer season is short, especially on the shores of the Laptev Sea in the northeast. The climate in the interior of the peninsula is continental. Winters are harsh, with frequent blizzards and extremely low temperatures. The following data for Cape Chelyuskin provides an indication of the weather experienced in the northern part of the peninsula.

Climate data for Cape Chelyuskin
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −26
(−15)		 −26
(−15)		 −24
(−11)		 −16
(3)		 −8
(18)		 1
(34)		 5
(41)		 4
(39)		 0
(32)		 −10
(14)		 −19
(−2)		 −22
(−8)		 −11.7
(10.8)
Average low °C (°F) −33
(−27)		 −33
(−27)		 −33
(−27)		 −26
(−15)		 −15
(5)		 −5
(23)		 −3
(27)		 −3
(27)		 −5
(23)		 −16
(3)		 −26
(−15)		 −30
(−22)		 −19
(−2.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8
(0.31)		 9
(0.35)		 9
(0.35)		 8
(0.31)		 9
(0.35)		 18
(0.71)		 21
(0.83)		 22
(0.87)		 22
(0.87)		 15
(0.59)		 9
(0.35)		 11
(0.43)		 201
(7.91)
Average precipitation days 15 15 14 12 11 12 11 12 15 16 13 16 162
Mean monthly sunshine hours 0 0 124 270 217 150 186 124 62 0 0 0 1,133
Source: World Climate Guide[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ziker
  2. ↑ Hoppál 2005
  3. ↑ Science Daily
  4. ↑ Safari Club Foundation Recordbook entry on Bovids
  5. ↑ Large Herbivore Network Article: Reintroduction of Musk Ox in the Northern Russia by Dr. Taras Sipko
  6. ↑ "Climate Data for Mys Chelyuskin". World climate Guide. Retrieved April 1, 2012.

Bibliography

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