Lyakhovsky Islands

Lyakhovsky Islands, Russia

The Lyakhovsky Islands (Russian: Ляховские острова Lyakhovskiye ostrova) are the southernmost group of the New Siberian Islands in the arctic seas of eastern Russia. They are separated from the mainland by the Laptev Strait (60 km wide), and from the Anzhu Islands group by the Sannikov Strait (50 km). Two islands dominate the group:

• Great Lyakhovsky Island (Большой Ляховский: Bolshoy Lyakhovsky) 4,600 km² with a maximum altitude of 270 m on Emy Tas
• Little Lyakhovsky Island (Малый Ляховский: Maly Lyakhovsky) 1,325 km²

Other islands in the group are Stolbovoy and Semyonovskiy.

Off Great Lyakhovsky Island's southwestern cape lies a small islet called Ostrov Khopto-Terer.

The islands are named in honour of Ivan Lyakhov, who explored them in 1773.

In popular culture

Part of the action of two novels by Jules Verne, Waif of the Cynthia (1885) and César Cascabel (1890), takes place there. In the latter, the term "Liakhov Islands" refers to the New Siberian group as a whole, as the principal action is on Kotelny Island.