Novosibirskie Islands

an archipelago situated north of the coast of Eastern Siberia, between the Laptev and East Siberian seas, in the Yakut ASSR. There are three groups of islands in the archipelago: the Liakhovskie Islands (6,100 sq km) in the south, the Novosibirskie (or Anzhu) Islands proper (29,000 sq km), and the De Long Islands.

The Novosibirskie Islands proper include a number of islands: Novaia Sibir’, Bel’kovskii, and Kotel’nyi and Faddeevskii islands, between which Zemlia Bunge is situated. Most of the archipelago is low-lying and composed primarily of loose deposits. The western part of the islands is made up of limestones and shales. The maximum elevation is 374 m (Mount Malakatyn-Tas on Kotel’nyi Island).

The islands have a severe arctic climate. The snow cover lasts for nine months. In January the average temperature ranges from –28° to –31°C, and in July, from 1° to 3°C. The total annual precipitation is up to 132 mm. Perenially frozen rocks and underground ice are found everywhere. The surface of the islands is covered with arctic tundra vegetation. There are many lakes.

The first information on the Novosibirskie Islands was provided in the early 18th century by the cossack Ia. Permiakov. In 1712 the island of Bol’shoi Liakhovskii was reached by a detachment of cossacks led by M. Vagin.