View source for Geography of Franz Josef Land

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[[File:Franz Josef Land location-en.svg|thumb|right|Location of Franz Josef Land]]
[[File:Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg|thumb|right|Map of Franz Josef Land]]
[[File:Northbrookisland fj.jpg|thumb|right|Northbrook Island]]
The '''Geography of [[Franz Josef Land]]''' refers to an island group belonging to [[Arkhangelsk Oblast]] of [[Russia]]. It is situated in the [[Barents Sea]] of the [[Arctic]], north of [[Novaya Zemlya]] and east of [[Svalbard]]. At latitudes between [[80th parallel north|80.0°]] and 81.9° north, it is the most northerly group of islands associated with [[Eurasia]]. The extreme northernmost point is [[Cape Fligely]] on [[Rudolf Island]]. The archipelago consists of 191 ice-covered [[island]]s with a total area of {{convert|16134|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. It is currently uninhabited. The archipelago is only {{convert|900|to|1110|km|mi|abbr=in}} from the North Pole, and the northernmost islands are closer to the Pole than any other land except for Canada's [[Ellesmere Island]] and [[Greenland]]. The largest island is [[Zemlya Georga]] (George Land) which measures {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=on}} from end to end. The highest point in the archipelago is on Ostrov Viner-Neyshtadt ([[Wiener Neustadt Island]]) which reaches {{convert|620|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level. The central cluster of large islands in the midst of the archipelago forms a compact whole, known as [[Zichy Land]], where islands are separated from each other by very narrow sounds that are frozen most of the year.

During the period 1926 and 1932 Franz Josef Land also known in Russian as ''Zemlya Franca Josepha'' became a part of the Soviet Union and is included under the [[Arkhangelsk Oblast]]. In 1994, it was declared the [[Sakasnik Nature Reserve]] covering an area of {{Convert|42000|km2}} including area of the sea surrounding the land but with restricted entry only on special permit which is not given easily; out of this area, {{Convert|50|km2}} area around the military base of [[Nagurskoye]] on the [[Alexandra Land]] is totally out of bounds.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=206}}

==Landforms==
[[File:Champ insel geode.jpg|left|thumb|Cannonball [[concretion]] (spherical rocks) on Champ Island, Franz Josef Land]]
The archipelago is located at the nearest about {{Convert|900|km}} from the [[North Pole]], far beyond the [[Polar Circle]]. The group's 191 islands measure {{Convert|16135|km2}}. They extend over a length of {{Convert|234|km}} in the north–south direction and {{convert|350|km}} in the east–west direction.{{sfn|Lück|2008|p=182}} There are flat mountains in the range of {{Convert|400|-|490|m}} above sea level. The general lie of the land is in the elevation range between {{Convert|300|m}}  in the north and {{Convert|600|m}}  in the south with [[Wilczek Land]] forming the highest land mass at an elevation of {{Convert|670|m}}.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|pp=191–93}}  The islands are covered with glaciers to the extent of 85%, with no land breaks, and the land area of all the islands is only about 20%, with a coastline measuring {{Convert|4425|km}}.{{sfn|Lück|2008|p=182}} There are multiple [[icebergs]], with limited length of less than {{Convert|400|m}} and some of them are similar to the Antarctic [[tabular iceberg]]. Air borne radar measurements have recorded an ice layer of {{Convert|400|m}} in Graham Bell and Hall Islands; the thick ice cover on the islands is a phenomenon of the last 1000 years. As a result the [[reindeer]] population has not survived in these islands. Moving down to the coastal region, where the ice disappears, many lakes and ponds are seen. But as this area is very limited only small streams are noted, the largest extendigng only {{Convert|19|km}} in length on Prince George Island.{{sfn|Lück|2008|p=182}}<ref name=National>{{Cite news|url=http://blog.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/2011/08/franz-josef-land-national-geographic-explorer-makes-history/ |title=Franz Josef Land: National Geographic Explorer Makes History: Field Notes |date=10 April 2011 |publisher=National Geographic Expeditions |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184849/http://blog.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/2011/08/franz-josef-land-national-geographic-explorer-makes-history/ |archive-date=2013-10-29 }}</ref>

==Islands==
[[File:SH101782.JPG|right|thumb| View near the Polar Geophysical Observatory on [[Heiss Island]] ]]
Franz Josef Land comprises some 191 more or less ice-covered [[island]]s with a total area of about {{convert|16134|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}; the area varying with the fluctuation of glaciers during rising or receding stages. Its two largest islands are Prince George Island and [[Wilczek Land]], the former lies to the west and the latter to the east in the archipelago.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=191}} Two geographic subgroups in Franz Joseph Land are [[Zichy Land|Zemlya Zichy]] (Zichy Land), a large and compact glaciarized island cluster located in the middle of the archipelago containing ten large islands, and [[Belaya Zemlya]], a group of three islands in the northeast named Hvidtenland ("White Land") by [[Fridtjof Nansen]]. Through the middle of these two groups runs the wide strait which [[von Payer]] named the [[Austrian Strait]], in honour of his country.<ref name=Expedition>{{cite web|url=http://www.ivki.ru/kapustin/journal/markin22.htm|title= Archipelago ledyanыh kupolov (Zemlya Franz-Joseph)|language=Russian|publisher= Arctic Antarctic Philately}}</ref> Rudolph Island is the nearest to the North Pole.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=191}} The largest island, [[Zemlya Georga]] (George Land) measures {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=on}} from end to end. The highest point in the archipelago is on Ostrov Viner-Neyshtadt ([[Wiener Neustadt Island]]) which reaches {{convert|620|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.

The archipelago is divided in at least three subgroups:
* Western islands, west of the [[British Channel]] and [[De Bruyne Sound]];
* Eastern islands, east of the [[Northeastern Sound]], [[Beryozkina Channel]] and [[Austrian Strait]];
* Central islands, everything in between these two.

The central islands again split in the minor groups:
* Northern islands, north of the [[Markham Sound]];
* Southern islands, south of the [[Markham Sound]].

=== Largest islands ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name 
! Sub group 
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! Elevation (m)
|-
| [[Alexandra Land]]
| Western islands
| 1050
| 382
|-
| [[Zemlya Georga|Prince George Land]]
| Western islands
| 2821
| 416
|-
| [[Bruce Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bruce Island]]
| Western islands
| 191
| 301
|-
| [[Northbrook Island]]
| Western islands
| 254
| 344
|-
| [[Rudolf Island|Prince Rudolf Island]]
| Northern islands
| 297
| 461
|-
| [[Karl-Alexander Island]]
| Northern islands
| 329
| 365
|-
| [[Rainer Island]]
| Northern islands
| 140
| 284
|-
| [[Jackson Island]]
| Northern islands
| 510
| 481
|-
| [[Payer Island]]
| Northern islands
| 151
| 452
|-
| [[Greely Island]]
| Northern islands
| 149
| 447
|-
| [[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Salisbury Island]]
| Northern islands
| 960
| 450
|-
| [[Ziegler Island]]
| Northern islands
| 448
| 554
|-
| [[Wiener Neustadt Island]]
| Northern islands
| 237
| 620
|-
| [[Luigi Island]]
| Northern islands
| 371
| 442
|-
| [[Champ Island]]
| Northern islands
| 374
| 507
|-
| [[Heiss Island]]
| Northern islands
| 132
| 242
|-
| [[Hall Island (Arctic)|Hall Island]]
| Southern islands
| 1049
| 502
|-
| [[MacKlintok Island]]
| Southern islands
| 612
| 521
|-
| [[Salm Island]]
| Southern islands
| 344
| 343
|-
| [[Hooker Island]]
| Southern islands
| 460
| 576
|-
| [[Eva-Liv Island]]
| Eastern islands
| 288
| 381
|-
| [[La Ronciere Island]]
| Eastern islands
| 478
| 431
|-
| [[Wilczek Land]]
| Eastern islands
| 2203
| 606
|-
| [[Graham Bell Island]]
| Eastern islands
| 1557
| 509
|}

=== Western islands ===
[[File:Map of Western Franz Josef Land-en.svg|thumb|Western islands of Franz Josef Land]]
The western islands are separated from the other islands by the [[British Channel]] and [[De Bruyne Sound]] to the east. They include the large Alexandra Land and Prince George Land and the smaller [[Arthur Island|Arthur]], [[Bruce Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bruce Island]], [[Mabel Island (Franz Josef Land)|Mabel]], [[Bell Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bell]], and [[Northbrook Island|Northbrook]] islands.

====Alexandra Land====
[[Alexandra Land]] is the westernmost island in the archipelago.  It has an area of approximately {{convert|1051|km²|sqmi|sp=us}}. The sounds [[Cambridge Sound]] to the east and [[Arkhangelsky Sound]] off the northeast coast separate it from [[Zemlya Georga]] (also known as Prince George Land) to the east.<ref name="map">{{citation|title=US military map of Franz Josef Land, sheet NU 38-39-40-41|year=1964
|publisher=Army Map Service (LU), [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]]}}</ref> Its highest point is {{convert|382|m}} in the centre of the island, and there is also a {{convert|31|m}} peak near the northern coast.<ref name="map"/> [[Cape Nimrod]] lies on its western coast, and [[Cape George Thomas]] on its northeastern coast on Arkhangelsky Sound. There is a base named [[Nagurskoye]] near its northern coast,<ref name="map"/> named after [[Jan Nagórski]], which served as one of the most important meteorological stations in the archipelago during the [[Cold War]].{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=9}} The northernmost Russian Air Force base is in the Alexandra Island (though in a poor condition)  with a small unit of security force is existing since 1955. Prior to this, the manned base station in the extreme north was in the Rudolph island which is defunct since 1955.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=4}} It has a {{convert|1500|m|ft|0|sp=us}} snow runway. An Antonov [[An-72]] cargo aircraft crashed while landing at Nagurskoye on 23 December 1996.

====Prince George Land====
Prince George Land ([[Zemlya Georga]]), lies to the east of Alexandra Island is the largest island of Franz Josef Land which measures {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=on}} from end to end. It has an area of {{convert|2820.8|km2}} and lies within latitude 80.50° N and longitude 49.50° E. Its mapped shore length is {{convert|635.9|km}}.<ref name=Islands/><ref name=Prince>{{Cite web|url= http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=644&L=5|title= (Prince) George Land – Franz-Josef-Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref> The highest point is {{convert|416|m}} in the northern-central part of the island. Jackson named the island "Prince George Land" after [[George V|Queen Victoria's grandson]].{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=255}}<ref name=Prince/> There are also peaks of {{convert|362|m}} on its western side and {{convert|364|m}} near the southwestern coast, northwest of [[Gray Bay]].<ref name="map"/> To the southeast of this is [[Nightingale Sound]], which separates the island from the small islands of Bell island, Mabel Island and Bruce Island. To the north of this and off the east coast of Zemlya Georga is the [[British Channel]], which has [[Hooker Island]] to the far southeast. Zemlya Georga has several capes on its northern end, including [[Cape Murray (Zemlya Georga)|Cape Murray]] on the northeastern peninsula, [[Cape Bruce]] on the north-northeastern peninsula, and [[Cape Battenberg]] on the northern peninsula, marking the northernmost point of the island.<ref name="map"/> Several streams during the summer season flow into the sea in the northwestern side, and [[Geographer Bay]] divides the northeastern and north-north eastern peninsulas. Off the north coast, [[Leigh Smith Sound]] separates Zemlya Georga from the small [[Arthur Island]], which has a peak of {{convert|275|m}} and the [[Cape Ice Reconnaissance]] on its northern coast.<ref name=Prince/>

===Northern islands===
[[File:Map of central Franz Josef Land-en.svg|thumb|Northern and Central islands of Franz Josef Land]]
The northern and central islands lie to the north of the De Bruyne Sound and Markham Sound and to the west of the Austrian Strait. They include Rudolf island to the north, the [[Zichy Land]] cluster of islands, and Heiss and Komsomol islands to the southeast.
====Rudolf Island====
[[File:VNIIOarctic.jpg|thumb|left|Rudolf Island]]
[[Cape Fligely]] on [[Rudolf Island]] at 81°52' N is the northernmost point of Franz Josef Land.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=206}} Lieutenant [[Julius von Payer]], an officer of the Austro-Hungarian army, cartographer, and mountaineer, planted an Austro-Hungarian flag at Cape Fligely during the [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition|1874 expedition]] that discovered Franz Josef Land.{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=508}}{{sfn|Payer|1876|p=337}} The [[Baldwin-Ziegler Polar Expedition|Baldwin-Ziegler expedition]] arrived in 1902 and established a depot, and the [[Ziegler Polar Expedition|Fiala-Ziegler expedition]] set up camp here for two seasons.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=206}} A meteorological station was set up in 1932 in coordination with [[International Polar Year]] (1932–3) but was evacuated in 1941.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=206}} A later station functioned until 1995. Several pre-World War II Soviet stations existed in [[Rudolf Island|Teplitz Bay]] but little has remained according to the observations of the ''[[Kapitan Dranitsyn]]'' expedition in 2004.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=206}}

====Zichy Land====
[[File:S7300884.JPG|thumb|[[Wiener Neustadt Island]]]]
The islands of the Zemlya Zichy archipelago are separated from each other by very narrow sounds that are frozen most of the year, forming a compact whole. From north to south the main islands are [[Karl-Alexander Island]], [[Rainer Island]], [[Jackson Island]], [[Payer Island]], [[Greely Island]], [[Ziegler Island]], [[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Salisbury Island]], [[Wiener Neustadt Island]], [[Luigi Island]] and [[Champ Island]].

Karl-Alexander Island covers an area of {{convert|329.2|km2}} with an elevation of {{convert|365|m}} and its shoreline measures {{convert|87.7|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>
Rainer Island has an area of  {{convert|139.8|km2}}. The elevation of the island is {{convert|284|m}}, and it has a shoreline of {{convert|48.3|km}} length.<ref name=Islands/>
[[Jackson Island]] (''Ostrov Dzheksona''), discovered by [[Frederick George Jackson]] in May 1895,  is {{convert|521.4|km2}} in area; its highest elevation is {{convert|481|m}} and its mapped shore length is {{convert|148.1|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=330}}
Greely Island, also Grili, encompasses an area of {{convert|127.2|km2}} with a shore length of {{convert|52.8|km}}.<ref name=Islands/> [[Payer Island]] covers an area of {{convert|160|km2}} with an altitude of {{convert|284|m}}, and has a shoreline extending over {{convert|59|km}} length.<ref name=Islands/> 
[[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Salisbury Island]], also known as Solsberi Island, has an area of {{convert|959.6|km2}} and the highest point is at an elevation of {{convert|482|m}}. The mapped shore length is {{convert|184.9|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>

[[Wiener Neustadt Island]], also Viner-Noyshtadt or Viner N'Ojstadt, lies at {{coord|80.75|58.30}}. It has an area of {{convert|236.5|km2}} and has a highest point of {{convert|620|m}}.<ref name="map"/> Its shores extend over a length of {{convert|62.1|km}}.<ref name=Islands/> [[Luigi Island]], also known as ''Ostrov Luidzhi'', has a surface area of {{convert|370.6|km2}}; the highest point of the island is {{convert|468|m}} and it has a shore line of {{convert|101.70|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>
Champ Island has an area of {{convert|374.3|km2}} and is at an elevation of {{convert|507|m}} and its shore line measures {{convert|90.6|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>

====Heiss and Komsomol====
[[File:SH101129.JPG|thumb|right|Heiss Island]]
[[Heiss Island]] and [[Komsomol Island]] lie southeast of Zichy land. The [[Austria Strait]] separates Hall Island from Komsomol and the large [[Wilczek Island]] further to the northeast.<ref name="map"/>
[[Heiss Island]], also known as Kheysa or Chejsa island, is bound within latitude 80.55° N and longitude 57.50° E. It encompasses an area of {{convert|132.3|km2}}. Its mapped shore length is {{convert|55.2|km}}.<ref name=Islands>{{cite web|url=http://islands.unep.ch/IEO.htm#1028|title=Island Directory|access-date=14 July 2013|publisher=UN System-Wide Earthwatch}}</ref> The abandoned [[Kheysa]], [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[rocket launch]]ing site, was located on this island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/sites/kheysa.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031031081454/http://astronautix.com/sites/kheysa.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 31, 2003|title=Kheysa|access-date=15 July 2013|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}</ref> In the Geophysical Year 1957–58, a new meteorological station, which over the years became the largest such station, was established on the banks of a small crater lake in the ice free zone of this island and named after [[Ernst Krenkel]], an Arctic explorer. The station was closed in 2000 and abandoned buildings are still seen here. Another weather station was established in 2005. The island is named after the Arctic explorer, [[Isaac Israel Hayes]].{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=208}}

===Southern islands===
[[File:Map of Southeastern Franz Josef Land-en.svg|thumb|300px|Southern islands of Franz Josef Land]]
The southern islands lies east of De Bruyne Sound, and south of British Channel, Markham Sound and Austrian Strait. They include the larger Hooker, McClintock, Hall and Salm islands, and many smaller islands.

====Hooker Island====
[[Hooker Island]], named after British naturalist Sir [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]], lies to the southeast of Zemlya Georga, across the British Channel. It has an area of {{Convert|459.8|km2}}  and lies within latitude 80.25° N and longitude 53.00° E. The highest point on the island is at an elevation of {{Convert|576|m}} and its mapped shore length is {{Convert|117.5|km}}.<ref name=Islands/> A graveyard and two modern buildings exist. On Hooker Island's western side there is a bay in an un-glaciated area, [[Hooker Island|Tikhaya Bay]] {{Coord|80|20|N|52|47|E|}}). A large [[seabird colony]] exists near Tikhaya Bay at Skala Rubini {{Coord|80|18|N|52|50|E|}}), a spectacular rock formation on Hooker Island's shore. Tikhaya Bay was the site of a major base for [[Arctic exploration|polar expeditions]], and the location of a [[meteorological station]] from 1929 to 1963. There is another bay in the south of the island called Zaliv Makarova and another in the east known as Ledn.<ref name="map"/> To the southwest, [[De Bruyne Sound]] separates the island from [[Northbrook Island]]. To the north, the [[Young Sound (Franz Josef Land)|Young Sound]] separates the island from the islands of Koetlitz, Nansen, Pritchett, and several others.<ref name=Hook>{{Cite web|url= http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=650&L=5|title= Hooker (Gukera) Island, Rubini Rock, Tikhaya Station – Franz Josef Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref>

There are a number of islands surrounding Hooker Island. Scott-Keltie Island, with a highest point of {{convert|64|m}}, is an island off the northwest coast, and is named in honor of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] geographer Sir [[John Scott Keltie]] (1840–1927). {{Convert|10|km}} beyond this, lying to the west of Scott-Keltie Island in the British Channel, is Eaton Island, a small, {{convert|3|km}} long island. This island, which appears as Ostrov Itol in many Russian maps, was named after British scientist Rev. [[Alfred Edwin Eaton]] (1844–1929). May Island is a small island lying {{convert|5|km}} off the south coast; to the southwest of this [[Etheridge Island]], and to the southeast is [[Newton Island (Franz Josef Land)|Newton Island]], {{convert|11|km}} offshore, named in honor of [[Alfred Newton]]. Leigh-Smith Island lies east of Hooker island, separated from it by a {{convert|6|km}} wide sound called Proliv Smitsona.<ref name="map"/> It is {{convert|14|km}} long and has a maximum width of {{convert|6.5|km}}. The island's highest point is {{convert|309|m}} and its surface is wholly glacierized except for a small area at its northern point and another around Mys Bitterburga', its southernmost cape.<ref name="map"/> This island is named after British yachtsman and explorer [[Benjamin Leigh Smith]]. West of Leigh-Smith Island's northern end, off Hooker island's northeastern shore, there is a smaller island known as Royal Society Island, named after the [[Royal Geographical Society]]. It is {{convert|6|km}} long and has a maximum width of {{convert|2.5|km}}.<ref name=Hook/>

====MacKlintok Island====
[[MacKlintok Island]] or McClintock Island, named after [[Irish people|Irish]] explorer of the Arctic [[Francis Leopold McClintock]],<ref name=Franz/> lies to the east of [[Brady Island]], which lies to the east of Leigh-Smith Island and Hooker Island. This island, located within latitude 80.20° N and longitude 54.80° E, is roughly square-shaped. Its maximum length is {{convert|33|km|mi|abbr=on}} and its mapped shore length is {{convert|120.4|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Its area is {{convert|611.5|km²|sqmi|abbr=on}}, It is largely glaciated. The island's highest point is {{convert|521|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the eastern-central part of the island,<ref name=Islands/><ref name=Franz>{{Cite web|url=http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=655&L=5|title= McClintock Island – Franz-Josef-Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref> and there is a {{convert|481|m}} peak near the northeastern coast. The island is located very close to the west of [[Gallya|Hall Island]], separated from it by a narrow sound, Proliv Negri.<ref name="map"/> The island's northernmost point is Mys Grili (Greely Cape) and the southeastern is Mys Oppoltsera (Cape Oppholtzer).<ref name="map"/>

[[Alger Island, Russia|Alger Island]] and the smaller Mathilda Island lies off MacKlintok Island's northern shore, separated from Alger by a {{convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on}} narrow sound. Its highest point is near the centre at {{convert|429|m}}. Brady Island off the west coast is a relatively large island and is mostly glaciated. It is located west of MacKlintok Island's northwestern tip, separated from it by the {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide [[Aberdare Sound]] (Proliv Abyerder). The highest point on Brady Island is {{convert|381|m|ft|0|abbr=on}};<ref name="map"/> it was named after the English scientist [[Henry Bowman Brady]]. Mys Vize, Brady Island's northernmost cape,<ref name="map"/> is named after Russian Arctic expert [[Vladimir Wiese]]. There are also several islands off the southern shore including the Ostrova Borisika islets and [[Aagaard Island]], {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} off the southern coast, named in honor of [[Bjarne Aagaard]], a [[Norway|Norwegian]] expert on Antarctic whaling and exploration.<ref name=Franz/>

====Alger Island====
[[Alger Island, Russia|Alger Island]], ({{langx|ru| остров Алджер | ostrov Aldzher}}), is a small island at latitude 80° 23′ N and longitude 56.00° E. It divides the south-central islands and the north-central group, and is located to the south of [[Markham Sound | Markham Strait]].<ref name="map"/> [[McClintock Island]] lies to its south. Discovered in August 1899 by the Walter Welmann expedition, it was named after [[Russell A. Alger]], [[US Secretary of War]]. The coastline is fairly ice free. In 1901, Evelyn Briggs Baldwin established a camp here and named it [[Camp Ziegler]], after [[William Ziegler (industrialist)| William Ziegler]], who had sponsored the expedition.{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=10}}

====Hall Island====
[[File:Kap tegethoff gross.jpg|thumb|right|View of Cape Tegetthoff]]
[[Hall Island (Arctic)|Hall Island]] (Ostrov Gallya) is an almost completely glacierized large island of {{convert|1049|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} immediately to the east of MacKlintok Island. It lies within latitude 80.30° N and longitude 56.00° E. The highest point on the island is {{convert|502|m|abbr=on}} and its mapped shore length is {{convert|174.7|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Islands/><ref name=Austro>{{Cite web|url= http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=648&L=5|title=Hall (Gallya) Insel, Cape Tegetthoff – Franz-Josef-Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref> It was named after American Arctic explorer [[Charles Francis Hall]]. The only relatively large areas free of permanent ice are located in its southern end, where there are two headlands, Cape Tegetthoff, and Cape Ozernyy, on the Littov Peninsula. Cape Tegetthoff has a range of hill peaks.<ref name="map"/> The airborne surveys revealed {{convert|400|m}} thick mantles of ice and also in Graham Bell Island's ice capes.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=188}} There is also a very small unglacierized area around its eastern cape, Cape Frankfurt, and another in its northwestern point, Cape Wiggins. Its highest point is {{convert|502|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} near its southwestern side, and there is also a peak of {{convert|421|m}} in the northcentral part of the island. There is a wide bay on the southeastern side of Hall Island known as Hydrographer Bay and a smaller one west of the Littov Peninsula, known as Bukhta Surovaya.<ref name="map"/> To the southeast, there is a wider strait separating Hall Island from [[Salm Island]], known as Proliv Lavroka. The strait to the east is known as [[Austrian Strait]].

Just off the northern shore of Hall Island lie three small islets known as the Brown Islands, named in honor of George Brown of the [[Royal Navy]], who participated in the 1850–1854 expedition in search of [[Sir John Franklin]] on the ''Investigator''. {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}} to the west of Hall island's northwestern cape lies the oval-shaped {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} long Newcomb Island, with a highest point of {{convert|67|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. This island was named after [[Raymond Lee Newcomb]], the naval officer in charge of the ill-fated [[George W. DeLong|DeLong]] expedition on the [[USS Jeannette (1878)|''Jeannette'']]. {{convert|1.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} off the northeastern side of Hall Island's eastern bay lies the small but steep Berghaus Island, reaching a height of {{convert|372|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Unglacierized, this island was named after cartographer [[Heinrich Berghaus]] (1797–1884).<ref name=Austro/>

Sal'm Island, located on the wide strait of the Payer Austrian channel,<ref name=Expedition/> encompasses an area of {{convert|343.7|km2}} with an altitude or {{convert|343|m}} and the shore length is {{convert|76.9|km}}.<ref name=Islands/>

===Eastern islands===
[[File:Map of Graham Bell Island and Wilczek Land-en.svg|thumb|Eastern islands of Franz Josef Land]]
The easterns islands lie to the east of the Austrian Strait, and include Wilczek Island, La Ronciere Island, and Graham Bell Island.

====Eva-Liv Island====
[[Eva-Liv Island]], also Yeva-Liv or Jeva Liv, is the northeastern extremity of Franz Josef Land at {{coord|81.62|62.96}}. It covers an area of {{convert|287.6|km}}. It has an altitude of {{convert|381|m}} and a mapped shore length of {{convert|75.2|km}}.<ref name="map"/><ref name=Islands/> The island was discovered by Nansen and Johansen on 24 July 1895. Nansen thought there were two islands, and named them after his wife and daughter. In 1905 it was found that "Eva" and "Liv" were in fact one island.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=208}}

====Graham Bell Island====
[[Graham Bell Island]], the easternmost island of Franz Josef Land, is immediately to the northeast of Wilczek Land across the Morgan Strait and is one of the larger islands in the archipelago, with an area of {{convert|1557|km2}}. Partially glaciated, its highest point is {{convert|509 |m}} near the southern centre. [[Cape Kohlsaat]], the easternmost point of the archipelago at 81°14′N, 65°10′E, lies on Graham Bell Island's eastern shore.<ref name="map"/> Cape Kohlsaat marks the northwesternmost corner of the [[Kara Sea]], therefore it is a significant geographical landmark. Cape Leiter lies on the south point of the island.<ref name="map"/> This island was named after inventor [[Alexander Graham Bell]]. Graham Bell Island should not be confused with the smaller Bell Island which is also part of the Franz Josef archipelago. Graham Bell Island is home to a Cold War outpost (shut down in 1994) and the airfield 'Greem Bell' with a {{convert|2100|m|abbr=on}} runway.<ref name=Bell>{{Cite web|url= http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=654&L=5|title= Graham Bell (Greem Bell) Island, Severnaja – Franz-Josef-Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref> This small island is mostly ice free and has a lagoon in the backdrop of a bell shaped mountain. The log cabin built by [[Benjamin Leigh Smith]] in 1881 is a well preserved cabin even now and is the oldest house on the land though unoccupied.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=208}}

Graham Bell Island's northern shore is fringed by clusters of very small islets.<ref name="map"/> Three-ray Island lies off the western coast. Ostrov Perlamutrovyy (Pyerlamutrov Island) lies off the southeastern shore of Graham Bell Island, the {{convert|2|km}} long Ostrov Trëkhluchevoy lies off its western shore, and Ostrov Udachnyy is part of a cluster of islets located along the northwestern shore.<ref name=Bell/>

====Wilczek Land====
[[Wilczek Land]] is barren and its basaltic rock cliffs are exposed.{{sfn|Umbreit|2009|p=206}}<ref name=Wilzeck>{{Cite web|url= http://www.franz-josef-land.info/index.php?id=640&L=5|title= Wilczek Island, grave Otto Krisch – Franz-Joseph-Land|access-date=16 July 2013|publisher= Franz-Josef-Land info}}</ref> It lies to the northeast of Hall Island, across the Austrian Strait.<ref name="map"/> It is the second largest island of the Franz Josef Archipelago and is almost completely glaciarized except for two narrow areas along its western shores. The highest point on the island is {{convert|606|m}}, in the western central part.<ref name="map"/> This large island is named after [[Austro-Hungarian]] [[Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek]], involved in the [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition]]. This island should not be confused with small [[Wilczek Island]], located southwest of Salm Island and named after the same person. Mys Ganza is Wilczek Land's westernmost cape. [[Cape Geller]] was the wintering site for two members of the 1899 [[Walter Wellman|Wellman]] expedition. Left with minimal supplies, one of them did not survive.{{sfn|Capelotti|2016|p=179–183}}

Off Wilczek Land's southern bay lies the small Klagenfurt Island, about {{convert|9|km}} away from the shore, named after [[Klagenfurt]], the capital of [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]. [[McNult Island]] lies just off the southeastern cape, with several other islets. Just off the eastern coast of Wilczek Land lie two small islets called Ostrova Gorbunova,<ref name="map"/> named after Russian naturalist [[Gregory Petrovich Gorbunov]]. The northern side of Wilczek is separated from [[La Ronciere Island]] by a straight known as Vanderbilt. The small island of Geddes lies off the northwestern point. To the east, Wilczek Land is separated from [[Graham Bell Sound]] by the Morgan Straight.<ref name=Wilzeck/>

===List of Islands===
Islands of Franz Josef Land include:
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[MacKlintok Island|Aagaard Island]]
* [[Adelaide Island (Russia)|Adelaide Island]]
* [[Jackson Island|Alexander Islands]]
* [[Alexandra Land]]
* [[Alger Island, Russia|Alger Island]]
* [[Arthur Island]]
* [[Becker Island]]
* [[Belaya Zemlya]]
* [[Bell Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bell Island]]
* [[Hall Island (Arctic)|Berghaus Island]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bliss Island]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Brice Island]]
* [[Greely Island|Brosch Island]]
* [[Bruce Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bruce Island]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Bromwich Island]]
* [[Brady Island]]
* [[Champ Island]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island|Chichagov Islands]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island|Coburg Island]]
* [[Zemlya Georga|David Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|Davis Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|Derevyannyy Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|Eaton Island]]
* [[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Elizabeth Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|Etheridge Islands]]
* [[Yeva-Liv Island|Eva Island]]
* [[Freeden Island]]
* [[La Ronciere Island|Geddes Island]]
* [[Zemlya Georga|George Land]]
* [[Gogenloe Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|Gorbunov Islands]]
* [[Graham Bell Island]]
* [[Greely Island]]
* [[Hall Island (Arctic)|Hall Island]]
* [[Harley Island]]
* [[Heiss Island]]
* [[Salm Island|Hochstetter Islands]]
* [[Hofmann Island]]
* [[Hooker Island]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island|Howen Island]]
* [[Jackson Island]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Jefferson Island]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island]]
* [[Koetlitz Island]]
* [[Greely Island|Kane Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|Klagenfurt Island]]
* [[Koldewey Island]]
* [[Heiss Island|Komsomol Islands]]
* [[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Kuchin Islands]]
* [[Kuhn Island (Franz Josef Land)| Kuhn Island]]
* [[Wilczek Island|Lamont Island]]
* [[La Ronciere Island]]
* [[Jackson Island|Levanevsky Island]]
* [[Leigh-Smith Island]]
* [[Salm Island|Litke Island]]
* [[Luigi Island]]
* [[MacKlintok Island|McClintock Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|McNult Island]]
* [[Mabel Island (Franz Josef Land)|Mabel Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|May Island]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Nansen Island]]
* [[Hall Island (Arctic)|Newcomb Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|Newton Island]]
* [[Northbrook Island]]
* [[Gogenloe Island|Ostrovov Oktyabryata]]
* [[Jackson Island|Ommanney Island]]
* [[Payer Island]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island|Pontremoli Islands]]
* [[Pritchet Island|Pritchett Island]]
* [[Graham Bell Island|Pyerlamutrov Island]]
* [[Querini Island]]
* [[Rainer Island]]
* [[Northbrook Island|Robertson Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|Royal Society Island]]
* [[Rudolf Island]]
* [[Salisbury Island (Russia)|Salisbury Island]]
* [[Salm Island]]
* [[Salm Island|Schönau Island]]
* [[Hooker Island|Scott-Keltie Island]]
* [[Payer Island|Stoliczka Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land|Tillo Island]]
* [[Karl-Alexander Island|Torup Island]]
* [[Ziegler Island|Ugol'noy Kopi]]
* [[Wiener Neustadt Island]]
* [[Wilczek Island]]
* [[Wilczek Land]]
* [[Nansena Island (Franz Josef Land)|Wilton Island]]
* [[Bruce Island (Franz Josef Land)|Windward Island]]
* [[Zichy Land]]
* [[Ziegler Island]]
}}

==Waterways==
[[Markham Sound]] is a [[waterway]] between Zichy Land and the islands of McClintock and Hall.{{sfn|Heilprin|Heilprin|1990|p= 1122}} West of the British Channel is Prince George Land.{{sfn|Heilprin|Heilprin|1990|p= 1494}} Alexandra Land contains Weyprecht Bay.{{sfn|Heilprin|Heilprin|1990|p= 1993}} West of Austria Sound is Zichy Land.{{sfn|Heilprin|Heilprin|1990|p=2049}} Immediately north of Franz Josef Land is the [[Queen Victoria Sea]].{{sfn|Heilprin|Heilprin|1990|p= 1510}}

==Climate==
Climatic conditions here are very severe with minimum temperatures as low as (-)25&nbsp;°C to (-) 30&nbsp;°C during winter; even in summers the temperature does not rise above {{Convert|0|C|F}}. The polar nights lasts for 125 days while the polar days are 140.<ref name=National/> Climatically, the Gulf Streams does not reach the islands of Franz Josef Land. [[Polynia]]s are formed by the wind and sea currents that prevail in the northern and southern part of the land mass, which are the causative factors for the large ice free zone in the sea. The eastern and northern winds cause very cold breezes. The precipitation varies between {{Convert|100|mm}} and {{Convert|300|mm}} but mostly in the form of snow.{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|pp=192–93}}

==Geology==
Two distinct geological formations identified are of the [[Late Triassic]] and [[Jurassic]] sedimentary process which are recorded to a depth of {{Convert|200|m}} at [[Cape Flora]] and recede gradually towards the coast line of the sea in the north. Fossilized tree trunks here attest to this assessment. Above the Jurassic sedimentary layer of {{Convert|500|m|abbr=on}} thickness, which is [[basalt]]ic, cretaceous period intrusions of [[dolerite]] caused by volcanic eruptions are recorded. Also seen are many fault zones which have contributed to the removal of volcanic layers and exposing plateau tops and rock walls. Another feature noted here is of the shore line which appears to have receded, as a result of island formations (the rise of the islands above the icy sea is reported to be {{Convert|2|-|3|mm}}  per year).{{Sfn|Umbreit|2013|p=191}} Though most of the land is covered by [[glacial ice]], it does have outcrops covered with [[moss]]. The northeastern part of the archipelago is locked in [[pack ice]] most of the year; however the ice sometimes retreats north past the islands in summer (September).

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book | last = Capelotti | first = P.J. | year = 2016 | title = The greatest show in the Arctic: the American exploration of Franz Josef Land, 1898-1905 | publisher = University of Oklahoma Press | isbn = 978-0-8061-5222-6}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Heilprin |editor1-first=Angelo |editor2-last=Heilprin |editor2-first=Louis |title=Geographical Dictionary of the World In the Early 20th Century with Pronouncing Gazetteer: Part Two, M to Z |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVQDZFM1T2IC&pg=PA1122 |year=1990 |publisher=Concept |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7268-012-1 }}
* {{cite book|last=Lück|first=Michael|title=The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yuc2Aro6ukkC&pg=PA182|date=January 2008|publisher=CABI|isbn=978-1-84593-350-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Mills|first=William J.|title=Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYdBH4dOOM4C&pg=PA508|date=1 January 2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-422-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Payer |first=Julius |author-link=Julius von Payer |date=1876 |title=Die österreichisch-ungarische Nordpol-Expedition in den Jahren 1872 - 1874 |url=https://archive.org/details/dieoesterreichis00paye |location=Vienna |publisher=Hölder}}
* {{cite book|last=Umbreit|first=Andreas|title=Bradt Travel Guide Spitsbergen: Svalbard, Franz Josef Land & Jan Mayen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaUMdfjn_QoC&pg=PA206|year=2009|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-240-8}}
* {{cite book|first=Andreas |last=Umbreit|title=Bradt Svalbard: Spitzbergen, Jan Mayen, Frank Josef Land|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLM1XNVhw-oC&pg=PA191|date=20 May 2013|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-459-4}}
{{refend}}

==Links==
* [http://maps.imagico.de/#map=3/80.776/55.159&lang=en&l=dark&r=fj&ui=2 Franz Josef Land map, imagico.de]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Hoyt |first=Erich |title=Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A World Handbook for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QiEK_7D0e08C&pg=PA145 |date=2 October 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-53830-8}}

{{Franz Josef Land}}

[[Category:Franz Josef Land]]
[[Category:Geography of Arkhangelsk Oblast]]
[[Category:Geography of the Arctic]]
[[Category:Geography by island|Franz Josef Land]]