Vrangel Island

located in the Arctic Ocean between the East Siberian and Chukchi seas. Belongs to the USSR; included in the Chukchi National Okrug, Magadan Oblast, RSFSR. Area, approximately 7,300 sq km.

The central part of Vrangel’ Island is mountainous, with elevations as high as 1,096 m (Mount Sovetskaia), bordered by shoreline plains. There are many small lakes. The island is basically formed of phyllites, crystalline shales, granites, and gneisses. The low-lying shores are broken in places by lagoons, separated from the sea by sand spits. The climate is severe; the average January temperature is -21.3° to -23.3° C, and the summers are short and damp, with an average July temperature of 2°-2.5° C. Throughout the year the island is surrounded by ice. In the mountains there are glacierets and cirque glaciers. Polygonal arctic tundras predominate on the island. Animals include lemmings and arctic foxes; among the birds are geese, guillemots, and snow buntings, which summer here. The island was named after F. P. Wrangel.