Franz Josef Land
In 1865, the Norwegian sealing vessel Spidsbergen sailed northeast from Svalbard. Captain Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck and harpooner Johan Petter Aidijärvi spotted land that was most likely Franz Josef Land. They kept their discovery secret because they wanted to exploit the area for sealing without competition. No announcement followed, so subsequent explorers remained unaware of the find. Russian scientist N. G. Schilling proposed in 1865 that ice conditions in the Barents Sea required another land mass nearby. He never received funding for an expedition to prove his theory.
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition of 1872, 1874 became the first to announce the islands' existence. Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht led the voyage aboard the schooner Tegetthoff. Starting in July 1872, the vessel drifted from Novaya Zemlya to a new landmass. They named the area after Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830, 1916). Benjamin Leigh Smith's expedition in 1880 landed on Bell Island in August. His barque Eira sank on the 21st of August while exploring towards McClintock Island. The crew built a cottage and stayed the winter before rescue by British vessels Kara and Hope. Fridtjof Nansen's Fram expedition of 1893, 1896 found their way to Franz Josef Land after giving up on reaching the pole. At Cape Flora in spring 1896, Nansen stumbled upon Frederick George Jackson. Their meeting established that no large landmass existed north of this archipelago.
On the 15th of April 1926, the Soviet Union declared its annexation of the archipelago. Emulating Canada's sector principle, they pronounced all land between the Soviet mainland and the North Pole as Soviet territory. Both Italy and Norway protested the claim. In 1934, 35 geological and glaciological expeditions were carried out. Up to sixty people stayed the winters between 1934 and 1936, which also saw the first birth. An airstrip was constructed on a glacier, and by 1937 the winter population hit 300. During World War II, Nazi Germany established a weather station named Schatzgräber on Alexandra Land. The German station was evacuated in 1944 after men suffered trichinosis from eating polar bear meat. Apparent physical evidence of the base was discovered in 2016. With intercontinental ballistic missiles arriving, the Soviet Union changed military strategy in 1956. They abolished the strategic need for an airbase on the archipelago. Nagurskoye became a major new base with an area of 14,000 square meters capable of maintaining 150 soldiers for 18 months.
Geologically the archipelago sits on the northern edge of the Barents Sea Platform. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are exposed within this area. Four units separate the region by regional erosion surfaces. The Lower Mesozoic unit consists of coastal and marine sediments from the Upper Triassic period. It contains limestones, shales, sandstones and conglomerate. Plate tectonics created basalt lavas and dolerite sheets during the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous periods. The land rises by one millimeter per year due to melting of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet around 10,000 years ago. Approximately 85 percent of the archipelago is glaciated. Large ice-free areas exist only on the largest islands like Armitage Peninsula of George Land. Most smaller islands remain unglaciated. Streams form only during runoff from May through early September. Permafrost causes most runoff to take place on the surface.
At 81 degrees north the archipelago experiences 141 annual days of midnight sun from the 12th of April to the 30th of August. During winter it experiences 128 days of polar night from the 19th of October to the 23rd of February. Coastal stations experience mean January temperatures between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees Celsius. Average annual precipitation at coastal stations ranges between 150 and 250 millimeters. There are about one thousand lakes in the archipelago. Most lakes sit in depressions caused by glacial erosion. Their sizes vary from 0.1 to 10 square kilometers. Most are only two meters deep with the deepest measured at 15 meters. The sea starts to freeze in late September and reaches its annual maximum in March. Ninety-five percent of the sea becomes ice-covered at that time. Icebergs are common year-round around the entire island group.
Vegetation typically covers five to ten percent of ground surface except under bird colonies where it can reach 100 percent. About 150 species of bryophytes dominate the grassy turf. More than 100 species of lichen grow on the islands. Fifty-seven species of vascular plants have been reported. Arctic poppy and saxifraga grow everywhere independent of habitat. Thirty-three species of fish inhabit the waters though none are abundant or commercially exploitable. Forty-one species of birds breed within the archipelago. Walruses were previously hunted, dramatically reducing the formerly abundant species. They have been internationally protected since 1952. Between one and three thousand walruses now live in the archipelago. Minke whales, humpback whale, and beluga whales are commonly seen around the island. Fin whales recently confirmed migration into the waters. Bowhead whale sightings occur occasionally with the Russian Arctic stock considered most endangered globally.
The archipelago and surrounding waters were declared a nature reserve in April 1994. In 2011, Russia expanded the Arctic National Park to include Franz Josef Land. Tourism travel remains severely limited with no infrastructure supporting visitors. The only way to reach the islands is by icebreaker typically operating out of Murmansk. In 2012 there were only eight successful landings on the islands. A contributing factor to low utilization involves difficulty obtaining permissions and frequent closing of Kola Bay for military exercises. Most frequent service is a three-week North Pole tour with Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy. Tourists are commonly landed by helicopter from vessels like this. Nagurskoye Air Base was extensively upgraded in mid-2010s to support greater military presence. In August 2019, Russia abruptly withdrew approval for a Norwegian cruise ship to visit the islands.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
Who discovered Franz Josef Land in 1865?
Captain Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck and harpooner Johan Petter Aidijärvi spotted land that was most likely Franz Josef Land while sailing the Norwegian sealing vessel Spidsbergen. They kept their discovery secret to exploit the area for sealing without competition.
When did the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition announce the existence of Franz Josef Land?
The Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition of 1872, 1874 became the first to announce the islands' existence under the leadership of Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht. They named the area after Emperor Franz Joseph I who lived from 1830 to 1916.
What happened to the crew of Benjamin Leigh Smith's expedition in 1880?
Benjamin Leigh Smith's barque Eira sank on the 21st of August while exploring towards McClintock Island. The crew built a cottage and stayed the winter before rescue by British vessels Kara and Hope.
Why did the Soviet Union change its military strategy regarding Franz Josef Land in 1956?
With intercontinental ballistic missiles arriving, the Soviet Union changed military strategy in 1956 and abolished the strategic need for an airbase on the archipelago. Nagurskoye became a major new base with an area of 14,000 square meters capable of maintaining 150 soldiers for 18 months.
How many days of midnight sun does Franz Josef Land experience annually?
At 81 degrees north the archipelago experiences 141 annual days of midnight sun from the 12th of April to the 30th of August. During winter it experiences 128 days of polar night from the 19th of October to the 23rd of February.