Severnaya Zemlya

Severnaya Zemlya (syĕˈvĭrnĪə zĭmlyäˈ) [key] [Rus., = northern land], archipelago, c.14,300 sq mi (37,010 sq km), between the Kara and Laptev seas, Krasnoyarsk Territory, N Siberian Russia, off the Taymyr Peninsula. Extending N of lat. 80°N, it is composed of four major islands—October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, Pioneer—and several smaller ones. Glaciers are found on the larger islands. Discovered in 1913, it was first named Nicholas II Land.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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