Top 10 largest islands in Russia

Our country is incredibly large and rich in islands – they are in all the seas washing Russian territory. The largest number of them is located in the Arctic, in the seas of the Pacific and Arctic oceans. In the Far East is the largest – Sakhalin.

Most of these lands are sparsely populated due to their remoteness. We have compiled a rating of the top 10 largest islands in Russia, where many sailors dream of visiting.

10 Bolshoi Lyakhovsky Island (Novosibirsk Islands), 4 km²

The Russian archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean. The island was discovered back in 1646, but then it was considered part of Novaya Zemlya. And only in 1712 the first reliable information about the island appeared. But despite all this information, the official version remains that the island was discovered in 1770 by the merchant Ivan Lyakhov.

Since 2012, military exercises have often been held on this territory, and a base has even been built where military equipment and property are brought. Island area Big Lyakhovsky is 4 km².

9. New Siberia Island (Novosibirsk Islands), 6 km²

Another, but larger island, which is part of the Russian archipelago New Siberian Islands. Its area is 6 km². The island was discovered in 200, the first to be found by Russian industrialists who studied the area.

Flora and fauna are not rich here. Of the animals found mainly bears, deer and arctic foxes. There are only two types of fish. This island differs from others in that it has a dense river network. There are also many lakes on the island.

8. Wrangel Island, 7 km²

This is a famous island whose history is amazing. It is named after the great navigator Ferdinand Wrangel. At the moment, there are no indigenous people there, with the exception of the station workers and the military, who live there on shifts.

All residents dispersed as soon as the island was taken under the protection of UNESCO and banned from hunting. But they say that one resident still lives there, who remained faithful to his homeland.

Most of the area of ​​the island is occupied by mountains, so the landscapes here are extraordinary. The climate on the island Wrangel very severe, even summer is famous for its severe frosts. If you count the total number of days without frost, then you get no more than 25 per year.

Flora and fauna do not indulge scientists with a variety of species, but it is here that the largest genus of polar bears lives. Also here are the largest walrus rookeries in the Arctic.

In these places, the remains of the latest species of mammoths were found. Scientists are doing everything to keep this wildlife safe and sound.

7. Komsomolets Island (Severnaya Zemlya), 9 km²

Island Komsomolets belongs to the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago and is its northernmost part. More than half of the island is covered by glaciers, the largest of which is the glacier of the Academy of Sciences, its area is almost 6 km², while the area of ​​the entire island is 000 km². The thickness of the glacier reaches 9 m, and the height is 600 meters above sea level.

For the first time, the territory of Komsomolets Island was explored in 1930 under the leadership of Ushakov. They wanted to rename the island and even wrote an order, but the decision was canceled. The territory could be called an island Saint Mary.

6. Bolshevik Island, (Severnaya Zemlya), 11 km²

Of the three islands of Severnaya Zemlya, the island Большевик ranks second in area, which is 11 km². The island is covered with rugged terrain, the highest point reaches 312 m. More than 940% of the entire area belongs to glaciation. There are few lakes here, but a large number of rivers.

The date of discovery of this island is equal to the discovery of the entire Severnaya Zemlya, but it was studied in detail only after almost 17 years in 1930. Since 1979, gold prospecting has been actively conducted on the island. In this regard, Bolshevik Island was considered very resourceful and did not fail. More than 540 tons of precious metal were found here.

At the moment, there are several polar stations in this territory, two of which are considered closed.

5. October Revolution Island (Severnaya Zemlya), 13 km²

Island named after October revolution has an area of ​​13 square kilometers. It is the central island of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. The Krasnoyarsk Territory has an island. It is washed by the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. The island is covered with glaciers, has many fairly large rivers, and numerous gold deposits have been found in the bowels of the earth.

At the moment, the island is uninhabited, the flora is not rich. But the reserves of gold hidden in the ground can change the zero population and be a factor in the formation of worker settlements.

4. Kotelny Island (Novosibirsk Islands), 23 km²

Island area Boiler room 23 square kilometers. The boiler room was opened in the 200th century by a Russian merchant. The island is located in the waters of the East Siberian Sea and the Laptev Sea. It is covered with hills, the composition of the soil is mainly slate and limestone.

Included in the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands and belongs to Yakutia. During Soviet times, a military base was located on the island, abandoned after the collapse of the Republics. Now the base is being actively restored and is functioning, and there is a special airport on the island.

3. Yuzhny Island (Novaya Zemlya), 33 km²

Island South is part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Unlike its uninhabited neighbor, the North Island, almost three thousand people live on the South. The area of ​​the island is 33 square kilometers.

There was a myth that after a series of tests of nuclear weapons, the islands of the archipelago are completely devoid of life, but this is not so. In addition to a fairly abundant flora and fauna, people live on the island, and they live quite comfortably. There is a house of culture, shops, military units and residential buildings. The island is under the jurisdiction of the Arkhangelsk region.

2. Severny Island (Novaya Zemlya), 48 km²

Island Northern, part of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, has an area of ​​48 square kilometers. Severny is part of the Arkhangelsk region. Approximately half of the area is occupied by glaciers.

The island has become the base of the Russian military, in addition, there is an important port on the North. Previously, there were several settlements on the island, but now they are all abandoned by the inhabitants. Even earlier, the island served only as a transit point for fishermen and lost sailors.

1. Sakhalin Island, 76 km²

Island Sakhalin located in the Pacific Ocean, not far from Japan. The area of ​​Sakhalin is 76 square kilometers. The remoteness of the island from major European cities and countries makes it very distinctive, and the beauties of nature attract tourists and travelers.

This largest island of Russia is washed by the waters of two seas – the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Despite its location away from the center of Russia, the island has become home to more than half a million people and, according to this indicator, overtakes even some major cities of the leading powers.

The settlement of the island by people occurred, according to various estimates, about 20 thousand years ago. In tsarist times, the island was a place of exile for criminals. Now it is inhabited by peaceful and hardworking people, most of whom live in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.