Komsomolets Island

Komsomolets

Native name: остров Комсомолец
File:Komsomolets Island.svg Komsomolets Island, Russia
Komsomolets Island (Russia)
Geography
Location	Arctic
Coordinates
Archipelago	Severnaya Zemlya
Area
Highest elevation	935 m (3,068 ft)
Country
Russia

Komsomolets Island (Russian: остров Комсомолец) is the northernmost island of the Severnaya Zemlya group in the Russian Arctic, and the third largest island in the group. It is the 82nd largest island on earth.

Geography

The northernmost point of the island is called the Arctic Cape. This is the launching point for many Arctic expeditions.

The area of this island has been estimated at 9,006 km². It rises to a height of 780 m. About 65% of the island is covered with glaciers. Komsomolets Island is home to the largest ice cap in Russia, the Academy of Sciences Ice Cap.

Geology

The soil of the island is mostly composed of loose loam and sands, a tundra desert scattered with mosses and lichens.

History

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. They also named it. In keeping with their scheme of naming the islands after events and movements of the Russian Revolution, this island was named in honour of the members of the Komsomol, the "Communist Union of Youth".

External links

• Photos of the Academy of Science Ice Cap: [1]
• Facts and dramatic satellite photos of the islands of the Severnaya Zemlya group: [2]