Waigatsch
| Waigatsch | ||
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| Waters | Arctic Ocean , Barents Sea / Kara Sea | |
| Geographical location | 70 ° 28 ' N , 59 ° 3' E | |
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| length | 100 km | |
| width | 45 km | |
| surface | 3 383 km² | |
| Highest elevation | Gora Bolwanskaya 171 m |
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| Residents | 100 <1 inh / km² |
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| main place | Waigatsch | |
Waigatsch (Russian: Вайгач) is a 3,383 km² Russian island in the Arctic Ocean north of Russia . It lies south of the Kara Sea , which is considered part of the Asia - European border ; thus the island - like the neighboring double island of Novaya Zemlya - belongs to Europe .
geography
The island, which belongs to the Autonomous Okrug of the Nenets , lies east of the Barents Sea and south of the Kara Sea (each part of the Arctic Ocean). It is located between the Kara Road, 42 km wide at its narrowest point, in the northwest, behind which Novaya Zemlya rises, and the Jugor Road , which is only two kilometers wide in places, in the southeast, behind which the Pai-Choi Mountains rise; the latter is followed by the Urals .
The largest extension of the island Waigatsch is about 100 km in the northwest-southeast direction and about 45 km in the southwest-northeast direction. The highest point is at 170 m above sea level. There are many rivers , lakes and swamps .
Due to the arctic location of the island, the southern tip of which is called Cape Greben , the surrounding sea is not ice-free all year round .
The two villages with about 100 inhabitants are called Waigatsch in the north (here is also the coastal radio station ) and Warnek in the southwest on Lyamtschina Bay .
history
The island's name, Waigatsch, is probably that of the eponymous explorer who visited the island in the 16th century .
The island is a sacred place for the Nenets who breed reindeer here , they came here every year to make ritual sacrifices. In the Stalin -time one was zinc - and lead mine in the Gulag had to work -Gefangene operated. (→ Waigatsch expedition of the OGPU )
Flora and fauna
The vegetation on Waigatsch is typical of the tundra . The native wildlife consists of polar bears , seals , walruses and a large population of swimming birds. Among other breed here, the bean goose , the white-fronted goose , the barnacle goose , the tundra swan , the long-tailed duck , the Goosander , the peregrine falcon and the Snowy Owl , which is why BirdLife International Waigatsch as since 2000. Important Bird Area identifies (RU030).
Web links
- Current weather in Waigatsch
- Arctic Easter Island (English language)