Edgeøya
| Edgeøya | |
|---|---|
 with Barentsøya at the top |
|
| Waters | Barents Sea |
| Archipelago | Svalbard |
| Geographical location | 77 ° 50 ′ N , 22 ° 40 ′ E |
 |
|
| length | 114 km |
| width | 79 km |
| surface | 5 074 km² |
| Highest elevation | Caltexfjellet 572 m |
| Residents | uninhabited |
 |
|
Edgeøya is the third largest island of the to Norway belonging Svalbard -Archipels in the North Atlantic. It is located east of the island of Spitsbergen (the main island of the archipelago), south of the somewhat smaller island of Barentsøya and north of the island of Hopen . Edgeøya has an area of 5074 km² and is uninhabited.
Surname
The island is named after the English trader and whaler Thomas Edge (1587 / 88-1624).
The name East Svalbard was previously suggested for Edgeøya . However, this occurred before the name West-Spitzbergen was used for the main island of the archipelago (between 1925 and 1969), so this is not an antonym .
The name Südostland ( Syd-Ost-Landet ) was also proposed, as a kind of comparison to the Nordostland , the second largest island.
climate
As on the entire Svalbard Archipelago, the climate is high arctic due to the high geographical latitude. While the West Spitsbergen Current (the last northern branch of the warm Gulf Stream ) on the west coast of Svalbard still brings relatively high temperatures and a lot of precipitation for arctic conditions, the cold East Spitsbergen Current on Edgeøya ensures much lower temperatures and solid ice even in the summer months.
geology
The island is made up of uniform sediments from the Triassic . These include sandstone , siltstone and claystone , which were deposited in shallow shelf seas and in coastal areas. The storage is largely unchanged, so the layers are more or less horizontal. In places the island is very rich in fossils (especially ammonites ), sometimes thin coal seams appear, which are economically uninteresting.
landscape
The landscape of Edgeøya consists largely of extensive plateau landscapes, table mountains and soft inland slopes. In the south are the two 400 meter high table mountains Kvalpynten and Negerpynten , which drop steeply into the sea on the south coast. The glaciation on Edgeøya is not as pronounced as in other parts of Svalbard with more precipitation and is largely limited to the inland ice. The largest ice cap , Edgeøyjøkulen with 1365 km², covers the entire south-east and extends into the sea on a broad front as a stone green on the east coast .
Flora and fauna
Despite the hostile conditions, the island is quite diverse. There are a number of saxifrage and buttercups , Scheuchzer's cottongrass and other plant species. There are also large quantities of mushrooms . Especially kittiwakes nest on narrow ledges of rock on mammals there is the Arctic fox , the polar bear and Svalbard reindeer .
history
On Edgeøya there are still remains of huts of the Pomor , which probably came in the 16th century to Spitsbergen. Norwegian trappers wintered on the island from 1894. Between 1899 and 1902 a Swedish-Russian degree measurement expedition was on the island. There are also remains of old English whaling stations . 1968-1969 Dutch scientists carried out biological studies on the island.
Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve
Edgeøya is entirely located in the Southeast Svalbard Nature Reserve . Any technical intervention (construction of buildings, operation of mines, etc.), any leaving of rubbish and any disturbance or introduction of animals and plants is prohibited there. In addition, motorized vehicles are not allowed to enter the country. The Sysselmann can also completely block areas for visitors.
Web links
- Edgeøya . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Svalbard Statistics 2005 (PDF; 6.8 MB), Statistics Norway, Oslo-Kongsvinger 2005, p. 136
- ^ East Spitsbergen . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).
- ↑ Syd-Ost-Landet . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).
- ↑ Gustav Rossnes: Norsk Overvintringsfangst o på Svalbard 1895–1940 (PDF; 7.7 MB), Norsk Polarinstitutt Meddelser No. 127, Norsk Polarinstitutt, Oslo 1993, p. 166. (Norwegian)