Novaya Zemlya

From Open Encyclopedia

The archipelago of Novaya Zemlya (Russian: <onlyinclude>Но́вая Земля́</onlyinclude>, "New Land"; formerly known in Dutch and English as Nova Zembla) consists of two major islands in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia, separated by the narrow Matochkin Strait, and a number of smaller ones. The two main islands are Severny (northern) and Yuzhny (southern). Novaya Zemlya separates the Barents Sea from the Kara Sea. The total area is about 90,650 km².

The area is very mountainous, as geologically Novaya Zemlya is the continuation of the Ural Mountains. It is separated from the mainland by the Kara Strait. The mountains reach a height of 1,070 metres. The northern island contains many glaciers, while the southern one has a tundra climate. Natural resources include copper, lead, and zinc. The indigenous population consists of about 100 Nenetses, who subsist mainly on fishing, trapping, and seal hunting.

The Russians knew of Novaya Zemlya from the 11th or 12th century, when traders from Novgorod visited the area. For western Europeans, the search for the Northeast passage in the 16th century led to its exploration. The first visit was by Hugh Willoughby in 1553. Willem Barents in 1596 rounded the north point of Novaya Zemlya, and wintered on the east coast near the northern tip. During this voyage the west coast was mapped.

Image:Novaya Zemlya.jpg

[edit]

Nuclear testing

A nuclear testing site named North Test Site was constructed in the mid-1950s, and existed during much of the Cold War. "Site A", Chyornaya Guba (70.7° N 54.6° E), was used mostly in 1955–1962. "Site B", Matochkin Shar (73.4° N 54.9° E), was used for underground tests in 1964–1990. "Site C", Sukhoy Nos (73.7° N 54.0° E), was used in 1957–1962 and was the 1961 explosion site of Tsar Bomba, a record 50-megaton burst. Other tests occurred elsewhere throughout the islands, with an official testing range covering over half of the landmass. In 1989, glasnost helped make the Novaya Zemlya testing activities public knowledge and opened the door for environmental assessment, and only a year later Greenpeace activists staged a protest at the site.

The last nuclear test explosion was in 1990 (also the last for the entire Soviet Union and Russia). Due to the climatic conditions, the Ministry for Atomic Energy has performed a series of subcritical hydronuclear experiments near Matochkin Shar each summer from July to August since 2000. These tests reportedly involve up to 100 g of weapons-grade plutonium.

[edit]