Severnaya Zemlya

Severnaya Zemlya (Северная Земля, Russian, Northern Land) is an archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean. It is located near the Taymyr Peninsula, north of 80°N latitude, between the Kara and Laptev Seas. The four major islands, October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer, and a number of smaller islands, cover a total area of about 37,000 sq. km. Politically, they are part of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The last archipelago on Earth to be discovered, Severnaya was first noted in 1913 and originally named Nicholas II Land. Initially believed to be a single island, the 1931 polar flight of the Graf Zeppelin determined them to be at least two islands; later study showed Severnaya Zemlya to be further divided.

Severnaya Zemlya was the site of a fictional Russian satellite control base in the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

Islands by size

Satellite image of Severnaya Zemlya, courtesy NASA.

• October Revolution (Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii), 14,204 sq. km.
• Bolshevik (Bolchevik), 11,206 sq. km.
• Komsomolets (Komsomolec), 8,812 sq. km.
• Pioneer (Pioner), 1,527 sq. km.
• Schmidt (Shmidta), 467 sq. km.
• Mal Taymyr (Mal Tajmyr), 232 sq. km.